PSS Fall 2018

HW

• CEO of Ryan Specialty Group Europe, based in London

• Student Trustee • Hometown: Pipersville, Pa.

• Major: Economics

1.

Best career advice you ever received: Making informed decisions only happens with research and data, as per Charles Wheelan in Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science

2.

Go-to coffee order: Just black.

3.

What makes a great leader? Empathy− no one is willing to follow and listen to someone who cannot relate and understand them.

4.

City you weren’t born in that you call home? Nanjing, China, where I studied abroad and now have a whole cohort of friends who feel like family.

Best career advice you ever received: You have to be passionate about what you do, excited to do it every day, and work diligently to make things happen.

2.

Go-to coffee order: Straight black.

3.

What makes a great leader? Someone who listens, analyzes the situation and then is decisive.

5.

4.

City you weren’t born in that you call home? London, the home base for my wife Kristen Mezzalingua McKenna ’92, myself and our children since 2012.

“I ran for Student Trustee because…” I felt I could truly represent the whole student body well, since I found I was interacting with a diverse and wide range of students every day.

6.

Most important quality in a friend: Humor

“I ran for Student Trustee because…” It was something I always wanted to do and sharing the student perspective was so important to me. It was by far the best experience I had at Hobart and William Smith.

7.

Cryptocurrency— fad or future? Future. I believe the transformation of a cashless society is inevitable.

8.

Favorite campus study spot: The Quad, if it’s sunny enough.

6.

Most important quality in a friend: Loyalty

9.

Forbes or Fortune? Wall Street Journal.

7.

Cryptocurrency— fad or future? Fad; I’m skeptic on the longterm viability. I’m not a fan.

10. Travel light or prepare for anything? You can travel light and still prepare for anything.

8.

Favorite campus study spot: The second level of the Blackwell Room in Demarest Hall. The wooden study carrels with the stained glass windows…it’s perfect.

11. Most important app on your phone: Pleco, a Mandarin Chinese learning app

9.

Forbes or Fortune? Forbes.

5.

10. Travel light or prepare for anything? You’ve got to prepare for anything.

11. Most important app on your phone: Google

Ask Alums Anything 16 experts respond to our queries on everything from dinosaurs to leadership

Fall 2018

1.

Ask Alums Anything

• Hometown: West Hartford, Conn.

FALL 2018

• Student Trustee

Paleontologist Matthew Lamanna ’97, pictured here at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pa.

:

• Major: Economics

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PETER J. MCKENNA ’91

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• Analysis intern at Citi Private Bank; recipient of the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship from the Taiwan Ministry of Education for study in Mandarin

a

PARALLELS

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GAVIN R. GROSS ’19

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The pages of this publication were printed using 100% recycled paper which enables the environmental savings equivalent to the following: • 230 trees preserved for the future • 222,212 gal. US of water saved • 22,734 lbs. of waste not generated • Saved 74,573 lbs. CO2 from being emitted • 191 MMBTU energy not consumed * * These calculations were derived from the Rolland Eco-calculator.

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The sun sets over the Hobart and William Smith campus.

PHOTO: ADAM FARID ’20

VOLUME XLIV, NUMBER TWO THE PULTENEY STREET SURVEY is published by the Office of Marketing and Communications, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, 300 Pulteney Street, Geneva, New York 14456-3397, (315) 781-3700. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Pulteney Street Survey, c/o Alumni House Records, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, 300 Pulteney St., Geneva, New York 14456-3397.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges are committed to providing a non-discriminatory and harassment-free educational, living, and working environment for all members of the HWS community, including students, faculty, staff, volunteers, and visitors. HWS prohibits discrimination and harassment in their programs and activities on the basis of age, color, disability, domestic violence, victim status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other status protected under the law.

Discrimination on the basis of sex includes sexual harassment, sexual violence, sexual assault, other forms of sexual misconduct including stalking and intimate partner violence, and gender-based harassment that does not involve conduct of a sexual nature.

For questions and comments about the magazine or to submit a story idea, please e-mail Catherine Williams at cwilliams@hws.edu.

PULTENEY STREET SURVEY FALL 2018 EDITOR, VICE PRESIDENT FOR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS Catherine Williams ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Peggy Kowalik SENIOR EDITOR Morgan Gilbard ’15 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS/EDITORS Jessica Evangelista Balduzzi ’05, Steven Bodnar, Paul Ciaccia ’15, Paige Cook, Ken DeBolt, Morgan Gilbard ’15, Mackenzie Larson ’12, Mary K. LeClair, Natalia St. Lawrence ’16, Andrew Wickenden ’09 and Catherine Williams.

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Boston College, Stephen Barrett, Paul Ciaccia ’15, Kevin Colton, Colorado College, Adam Farid ’20, Getty Images/ Gregg DeGuire, Andrew Markham ’10, Michael Paras, Jared Weeden ’91, Danen Williams, Zack Wittman and Van Urfalian.

INTERIM PRESIDENT Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. ’12 CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68, L.H.D. ’18 VICE CHAIRS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Cynthia Gelsthrope Fish ’82 Andrew G. McMaster Jr. ’74, P’09

VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT Robert B. O’Connor ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, ALUMNAE RELATIONS Kathy Killius Regan ’82, P’13 ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, ALUMNI RELATIONS Jared Weeden ’91 William Smith Alumnae Association Officers: Julie Bazan ’93, President; Kirra Henick-Kling Guard ’08, MAT ’09, Vice President; Jane M. Erickson ’07, Immediate Past President; Kate Strouse Canada ’98, Historian Hobart Alumni Association Officers: Dr. Richard S. Solomon ’75, P’10, President; Ludwig P. Gaines ’88, Vice President; Frank V. Aloise ’87, Immediate Past President; Rafael A. Rodriguez ’07, Historian.

COVER PHOTO: Paleontologist Matthew Lamanna ’97. Photo by Kevin Colton.

Gas resulting from the decomposition of landfill waste used in place of fossil fuels to produce paper.

100% post-consumer fiber paper.

PULTENEY STREET SURVEY

p.

www.hws.edu

Fall 2018

32

CONTENTS

Ask Alums Anything

2

Lakeviews

4 On Seneca: Campus News 10 Academic Prowess

20 Athletics Round Up 32

Ask Alums Anything

60 Classnotes 98 108 Profile of Gloria Robinson Lowry ’52 on p. 46.

1 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Fall 2018

HWS Community The Last Word

Dear Friends,

F

LAKEVIEWS

or more than 50 years, it has been my good fortune to be a member of the Hobart and William Smith community. The things that attracted me to the Colleges in 1968 – the boundless potential of our students, the intellectual agility and deep commitment of our faculty, the beauty of our lakeside campus, and the accomplishments and fortitude of our alumni and alumnae – remain our greatest assets. This is a place that inspires us to be our best selves and that rewards us with an education and friendships that shape the trajectory of our lives. In the 50 years since my arrival, these gifts have not changed, and it is my assessment that today the Colleges are in a position of strength.

Interim President Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. ’12, accompanied by his wife Sandy McGuire, shakes hands with Anu Shree Rajagopal ’22 upon her arrival to campus.

That strength was evident as we began the academic year with Convocation, a tradition so deeply rooted in the fabric of the Colleges that neither a heat advisory nor rain could deter us. In the Vandervort Room of Scandling Campus Center, a standing room only crowd was captivated by the keynote address of Margarita Ramos ’85, who spoke passionately about finding one’s voice, using it to make a difference, and leading a life of consequence. Our student trustees, Caitlin Lasher ’18 and Gavin Gross ’18, gave fantastic speeches about the challenges and rewards of traveling abroad and testing one’s boundaries. Delivering the faculty address was Associate Professor of Media and Society Leah Shafer, whose speech on individuality and the pleasures of learning demonstrated quite clearly why she is the recipient of the 2018 faculty prize for teaching. There was a spirit in the room of optimism and conviction.

This issue of the Pulteney Street Survey confirms the confidence we all shared during Convocation. In the pages that follow, some of our esteemed graduates share who they are, what they are curious about, where their ideas have taken them, and how they are using their expertise to change the world. There are updates on the national recognition the Colleges have received in recent weeks for study abroad, community service, return-on-investment and top-rated faculty. There are stories about our remarkable students and faculty, a fascinating piece authored by Professor of Physics Donald Spector about curiosity, and updates on our outstanding athletics teams. This issue is a reminder of what a remarkable place Hobart and William Smith is.

So, when Chair of the Board of Trustees Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68, L.H.D. ’18 asked me to serve as interim president following the resignation of Dr. Gregory J. Vincent ’83 in April, I was deeply humbled. To be able to give back to a place that means so much to me and continue the strong legacy of past presidencies is a great honor. I am grateful to Greg for his advice and counsel during the transition. Since taking on the presidency in April, I have spoken with former students, current students, parents and colleagues who share my enthusiasm and love for the Colleges, and who have pledged their support of our efforts moving forward. I thank you all most sincerely for your loyalty and commitment. It means the world to me.

To be sure, we have work ahead of us as we recruit a new president and a new cohort of students, as we educate and mentor the excellent students already on our campus, and as we increase engagement among alums and parents. But it’s work at which we will thrive.

Respectfully,

Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. ’12 Interim President

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During her Convocation keynote address, Margarita Ramos '85, Global Head of Human Resource Compliance for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, said her experience at William Smith gave her the "freedom to explore who I was, to take appropriate risks, and to test my voice. Here, I was empowered to interact — to challenge and become my best self.”

Margarita Ramos '85, Interim President Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. '12 and HWS Trustee Dr. Jeremy Cushman '96 laugh during the address by Associate Professor of Media and Society Leah Shafer.

A standing room only crowd attends Convocation.

Bookended by selfies and yogic breathing, Associate Professor of Media and Society Leah Shafer offered a stirring call to seize the moments and opportunities available at HWS. “Your primary responsibility here is to utilize these magnificent resources so that you can improve your ability to live a life of consequence and expand your ability to be a just and intelligent person in the world,” Shafer said.

To watch a video of Convocation or read transcripts of speeches, go to: hws.edu/convocation.

Professors of Art and Architecture Phillia Yi and Ted Aub take a selfie after being prompted by Associate Professor of Media and Society Leah Shafer, who asked the audience to take selfies in order to capture the present moment.

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Students take selfies during Convocation 2018.

ON SENECA

HWS No.1 in Study Abroad

CAMPUS NEWS

J

ust as the Pulteney St. Survey went to press, we learned that the Princeton Review has named Hobart and William Smith Colleges the top study abroad program in the country for the second year in a row. The HWS Center for Global Education offers more than 50 different program options in over 30 countries.

Dean of Global Education Thomas D’Agostino believes the Center for Global Education’s study abroad programs are distinctive in how they “address the diverse academic interests of our students” as well as “the manner in which students are able to maximize their experiences through an array of preparatory activities and opportunities to reflect, process, and share those experiences back on campus.

This is all part of the Colleges’ well-earned reputation for excellence and top ranking in the Princeton Review.”

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Faculty Excellence Ranked 7th in the Nation

I

n the 2019 edition of Princeton Review’s “The Best 384 Colleges,” Hobart and William Smith Colleges are ranked seventh in the nation for best student-rated professors, climbing from 18th on last year’s list. Featuring the reflections of current students, the profile of HWS in this year’s guide depicts a faculty committed to their scholarly pursuits while creating a learning environment where academics “are a priority” and faculty “make an effort to form individual relationships with each student,” according to students quoted.

“The faculty at HWS has long nurtured a culture of engaging and supporting students in their academic development, and exposing them to the various areas of scholarship that define their disciplines,” says Provost and Dean of Faculty DeWayne Lucas. “As we continue to attract the best colleagues and support the current faculty, this recognition of our commitment to academic excellence and to students is an important testament to who we are as an institution and reflects the hard work of students and faculty alike.”

The Princeton Review also ranks HWS:

10th for most

politically active students

Intramural 19th in the nation SPORTS PROGRAM HWS Recreation

for intramural sports participation

HWS No. 1 for Service

F

or the second year in a row, Hobart and William Smith Colleges have been named the No. 1 liberal arts institution for service in Washington Monthly’s College Guide and Rankings. The Colleges’ top spot in the service category was calculated according to alum service in the Peace Corps; institutional participation in the AmeriCorps Matching Program and in Tufts University’s National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement; and the allocation of Federal Work-Study funds, $63,000 of which supported tutoring programs for local students in 2017.

HWS students volunteer more than 90,000 hours annually in local, national and international communities, and generate more than $110,000 in fundraising efforts for non-profit organizations.

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Top-Producer for Fulbrights For the third year in a row, Hobart and William Smith are one of the nation’s top colleges and universities with the most recipients of U.S. Fulbright Student Awards. Since 2015, 19 students have been awarded cultural exchange and scholarship through the highly-competitive program that has shaped international affairs for more than 70 years.

Tree Campus USA A recipient of the prestigious U.S. Fulbright Student Award, Lauren St. Peter ’18 traveled to Taiwan this summer to begin her one-year tenure as an English Teaching Assistant.

No. 4 in Peace Corps Volunteers For the second consecutive year, Hobart and William Smith rank No. 4 nationally among small schools on the Peace Corps’ 2018 “Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities” list. There are 14 HWS alums currently volunteering worldwide; more than 225 have served since the agency’s founding in 1961.

Recognized for enhancing engagement around conservation and promoting a campus of healthy trees, Hobart and William Smith have been designated a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for the sixth consecutive year.

No. 1 in NY, No. 5 in U.S. for Graduate Employment For Eliss Mañon ’14, who is serving as a Peace Corps youth development volunteer in Peru, her time at the Colleges enabled her to pursue her passion for service. She says that when she came to HWS, she “wanted to continue to do what I love and devote some of my time to the community of Geneva. I know if I follow [that same path] I’ll be able to accomplish many amazing things in my time at the Peace Corps as I did during my time at HWS.”

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When it comes to successfully employed graduates, Hobart and William Smith Colleges are the top institution in New York and fifth in a national ranking, according to a recent study by the career search and employment services company Zippia.

HWS Opens Second Solar Farm Site Hobart and William Smith are continuing efforts to enhance sustainability and achieve climate neutrality with the March opening of the second of two local solar farms that together are generating up to five megawatts of electricity and represent one of the largest state-supported installations for a New York college or university. In total the sites cover the equivalent of 14.5 football fields.

Seneca Review Publishes First Book

During the construction of HWS' second solar farm, Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies Tom Drennen (right) explains to students how solar panels create energy.

HWS Debate Hosts Round Robin In the spring, the Colleges welcomed the best debate teams in the world to campus for the annual HWS Round Robin tournament, one of the world’s most prestigious international tournaments. “We have made a name for ourselves for running fantastic tournaments,” says Joshua Harper ’19, vice president of HWS Debate, which refrains from competing as the hosts and most recently won the 2017 U.S. Eastern Regional Novice Championship.

The Colleges’ literary magazine Seneca Review has published its first book, Five Plots

by Erica Trabold. The milestone marks the inaugural Deborah Tall Erica Trabold Lyric Essay Book Prize, named for the late HWS professor of English who edited the Seneca Review from 1982 to 2006. The prize was judged by Trias Writerin-Residence John D’Agata ’95, who worked closely with Tall as a student.

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CAMPUS NEWS

“The HWS solar farms mark an important step in our work to reach climate neutrality by 2025,” says Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies Tom Drennen, who is Chair of the Entrepreneurial Studies Program. “These sites not only are generating a significant amount of the Colleges’ electricity but will provide experiential learning and curricular opportunities for HWS students.”

Mentoring Students New Deans Join HWS

Dean Kaenzig has more than 25 years of experience, including 16 years serving as a dean at William Smith. She earned her B.A. from Rutgers University, M.A. from George Washington University and Ph.D. from the College of William and Mary. At William Smith, she advises Hai Timiai and is the founder of the First Generation Initiative. She is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors for the Public Leadership Education Network, a national organization that prepares women for leadership in public policy.

Dean Payne joins the Colleges this year to guide the William Smith Classes of 2020 and 2022. With more than 10 years of experience in administrative and instructional roles in higher education, she has

taught first-year seminars in the humanities, survey courses of American and African American literature, and professional development courses. She holds a B.A. from Saint Mary’s College and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Dean Salter has served HWS for more than 10 years as a visiting faculty member in the first year seminar program and the Psychology and Religious Studies Departments. She works with William Smith students in the Classes of 2019 and 2021. She holds a B.A. from the College of William and Mary, an M.A. from Duke University, a Master of Social Work from the School of Social Work at the University at Buffalo and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Dean Hussain earned a B.A. cum laude from Oswego State University of New York; an M.A. and M.A.T. from Binghamton University; and a Ph.D. from Syracuse University in Cultural Foundations of Education. An expert on education policy, the history of education and black press history, Dean Hussain teaches courses that explore culturally responsive, community-oriented and democratic education. He joined the Colleges in 2008.

Dean Mapstone has served the Colleges for more than 15 years, and works with Hobart students in the Classes of 2019 and 2021.

He earned a B.A. in psychology from Hobart and M.A. from the University of Rochester. The adviser of the Druid Society, he directs

8 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

the first-year Learning Community Program, the Pre-Orientation Adventure Program, the Back on Track academic support program, and the Short-Term summer study abroad program in Wales.

Dean Mink, who joined the HWS faculty in 2011 as an assistant professor of political science, works with the Hobart Classes of 2020 and 2022. He holds a B.A. from the University of Denver and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to courses in political science, he has taught American studies and firstyear seminars at HWS.

PHOTO BY KEVIN COLTON

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n service to the continued development of student success, the dean’s offices of Hobart College and William Smith College welcome four new administrators who offer academic guidance, mentorship and support for all HWS students.

In the William Smith Dean’s Office, Dean Lisa Kaenzig P’22 is joined by new Assistant Deans Kelly Payne and Lisa Salter. Following the retirement this spring of Hobart Dean Eugen Baer P’95, P’97 and with Rocco “Chip” Capraro returning to the faculty, Associate Professor of Education Khuram Hussain has been appointed Interim Hobart Dean.

Serving with Dean Hussain are Assistant Dean David Mapstone ’93, P’21 and, new this year, Joseph Mink, originally a faculty member in political science who joins the office as Interim Assistant Dean.

“We are excited to welcome our new deans, who bring expertise, insight and leadership to help shape our community’s intellectual culture and enrich the student experience,” says Interim President Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. ’12. “The dean’s offices play a crucial role in guiding our students to success, and our deans are extraordinary educators and scholars who share Hobart and William Smith’s deep belief that interdisciplinary learning bolstered by a strong system of support is key to student growth and achievement.”

To ensure continuity of student experience, assistant deans will now mentor specific classes throughout The Deans of Hobart College and William Smith College include (front): Interim Hobart Dean Khuram their four years on campus. “With this team of Hussain and William Smith Dean Lisa Kaenzig P'22; (back), Interim Assistant Dean Joseph Mink, Assistant Dean Kelly Payne, Assistant Dean Lisa Salter and Assistant Dean David Mapstone ’93, P'21. outstanding professionals whose strengths complement each other, we are looking forward to providing a continued high level of support for our students,” says William Smith Dean Lisa Kaenzig P’22. “We believe this new alignment of our deans will be valuable for student retention and success, and will foster relationships on campus and with families.”

Dean Hussain notes the importance of collaboration “with faculty and staff to advocate for our students’ development as scholars and engaged community members. Joe Mink brings his years of student-centered teaching to his work as dean of first years and juniors. David Mapstone’s 15 years in the office inform his new role as dean of sophomores and seniors.” Dean Hussain, who himself brings two decades of experience cultivating students’ intellectual and identity development, says that together the deans will “work to meet students where they are and provide what they need toward their next stage of development.”

Meet the New Student Trustees “One of the most rewarding aspects of my experience at HWS has been working at Admissions to engage prospective students and parents and help personalize the admissions process. I’m looking forward to serving the Colleges in a new capacity.”

Edens Fleurizard ’20

Major: Philosophy Big Dream: Serving as mayor of his hometown, Bridgeport, Conn.

Favorite Experiences: playing for the Hobart basketball team, serving as vice president of Alpha Phi Alpha and working for the Office of Admissions

“I have been very fortunate to have a plethora of experiences on this campus.

Whether through conversations in William Smith Congress, building relationships with my professors, or participating in my workstudy jobs, I somehow experience something impactful almost every day.”

A

gift of $200,000 from Hobart and William Smith Trustee Katherine D. Elliott ’66, L.H.D. ’08 will support a breadth of faculty proposals, from innovation within the curriculum to professional development. Beginning this year, the Katherine D. Elliott ’66 Faculty Innovation Grant will be disbursed evenly over two years to support innovations in undergraduate education at the Colleges.

“We are grateful to Katherine for her support of faculty and of innovation,” says Provost and Dean of Faculty DeWayne Lucas. “Continuing to create opportunities for faculty inside and outside the classroom is an investment that immeasurably impacts students and furthers the Colleges.”

Elliott is the retired Chief Operating Officer for Petner Asset Management, LLC, a hedge fund where she specialized in investment management operations.

She was previously a senior vice president and chief operating officer with the New York investment firm Lynch & Mayer Inc.

“Continuing to create opportunities for faculty inside and outside of the classroom is an investment that immeasurably impacts students and furthers the Colleges.”

— Provost and Dean of Faculty DeWayne Lucas

A member of the Board of Trustees for two decades, Elliott has served as vice chair and has chaired the Governance Committee. She also has served on the committees for Technology, Enrollment Management, Education and Appointments, Investments, and Student Life. She currently serves as chair of the Academic Affairs Committee.

Gianna Gonzalez ’20

Major: English and Media & Society; Teacher Education Program Big Dream: A career as a public relations consultant or communications director Favorite Experiences: studying abroad in Germany, dancing in Koshare, serving as a Resident Assistant, and working for the Office of Student Activities and as a Reunion Red Shirt

In 2005, Elliott made the lead gift to finance the Katherine D. Elliott ’66 Studio Arts Center. At the time, it was the largest donation to the Colleges by a William Smith alumna. She has funded two Scandling Trust gifts — one adding to an existing scholarship in her late grandfather’s name, Lewis H. Elliott, from the Class of 1898 and the other an endowed internship fund in her father’s name, the late William Elliott.

For her lifetime of accomplishments and dedication to HWS, Elliott was awarded an honorary degree in 2008. In 2016, she received the Elizabeth Herendeen Odell Award, the Alumnae Association’s highest honor for service. At William Smith, Elliott earned a B.A. in economics.

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CAMPUS NEWS

Elliott ’66, L.H.D. ’08 Supports Faculty Innovation

Academic Prowess In 2018, the Board of Trustees approved tenure and promotion for 14 faculty members.

Jeffrey Blankenship (Art and Architecture), who joined the faculty in 2011, publishes in the fields of cultural landscape studies and design history within the broader context of 20thcentury intellectual history. He holds a B.S. in landscape architecture from the University of Kentucky and a master’s in landscape architecture, a master’s in regional planning and a Ph.D. in cultural geography, all from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Kristen Brubaker (Environmental Studies) conducts research using spatial data to improve understanding of soil, terrain and land use legacy impacts on forested landscapes.

She joined the faculty in 2012 after receiving a B.S. and Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University and a M.S. from Mississippi State University.

Bradley Cosentino’s (Biology) research explores the ecological and evolutionary responses of wildlife to environmental change.

The author of "Evolutionary response to global change" in the journal Ecology and Evolution, Cosentino joined the HWS faculty in 2012 after earning a B.A. from Augustana College (IL) and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.

Matthew Crow’s (History) teaching and research explores colonial and revolutionary U.S. history and American intellectual history. The author of Thomas Jefferson, Legal History, and the Art of Recollection, he joined the HWS faculty in 2012, after earning his B.A. from University of California, San Diego and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Ileana Dumitriu (Physics) joined the faculty in 2012. Her research focuses on atom-light interaction investigating electrons’ behavior at the quantum level by using synchrotron radiation at Berkeley National Lab. Her on-campus research includes collaborative projects on water quality using drones reflectance spectroscopy and undergraduate student projects such as NASA RockSat-C/X. She holds a B.S. in physics from Babes-Bolyai University, a B.S. in civil engineering from Technical University Romania, and a Ph.D. from Western Michigan University.

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Emily Fisher’s (Psychology) research focuses on stereotyping and prejudice, social capital and community engagement, political psychology and consumer behavior. Fisher earned a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, before joining the HWS faculty in 2011.

Daniel Graham (Psychology), who specializes in the field of sensory and perceptual psychology, performs experimental, theoretical and computational research related to visual processing and neural network communication. A member of the faculty since 2012, Graham earned his B.A. in physics from Middlebury College and his M.S. in physics and Ph.D. in psychology from Cornell University.

Yan Hao (Mathematics and Computer Science) Hao, who joined the Colleges in 2012, teaches a range of courses in mathematics, spanning algebra and calculus, probability and statistics. As an applied mathematician, she explores probability and stochastic processes in her research, which has been published in European Physics Journal Nonlinear Biomedical Physics, Mathematical Biosciences and PLoS ONE. She earned a B.S. from Tsinghua University in China, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the College of William and Mary.

Alla Ivanchikova (English) teaches literary theory and global literature, which intersects with her research into displacement, border-crossing and globalization.

Ivanchikova, who joined the faculty in 2012, holds a Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Her book, Imagining Afghanistan After 9/11 is under contract with Purdue University Press.

Lisa Patti (Media and Society), who joined the faculty in 2011, holds B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University. As a teacher and scholar, she focuses on the contemporary translation and distribution of global media. She is coeditor of The Multilingual Screen: New Perspectives on Cinema and Linguistic Difference and coauthor of Film Studies: A Global Introduction.

Joseph Rusinko (Mathematics and Computer Science), who joined the department in 2015, holds a B.S. from Davidson College and Ph.D. from University of Georgia. Focusing primarily on algebraic, geometric and combinatorial approaches to modeling evolution, Rusinko is the recipient of the 2014 Distinguished Teaching Award for Beginning Faculty from the Southeastern Section of the Mathematical Association of America.

Kristin Slade (Chemistry) has extensive research experience in biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology. Before joining the HWS faculty in 2011, she earned her B.S. from the University of Richmond and her Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Earning Emeritus/a Status: In honor of their long service at Hobart and William Smith, the Colleges have named the following retiring faculty members Professors Emeritus/a. Emeritus/a status recognizes faculty service of 15 or more years and contributions to teaching, scholarship, community service and the leadership of the Colleges.

Eugen Baer P’95, P’97 (Philosophy), former Dean of Hobart College, retired this spring after nearly 50 years of service to HWS. In addition to his teaching and leadership, Baer holds more than 100 bylines in academia. He earned his licentiate degree in theology from the University of Freiburg, a biblical baccalaureate degree from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, and his doctorate in philosophy from Yale University. The Hobart Class of 2007 inducted him as an Honorary member on the eve of their Commencement.

Elisabeth Lyon (English) has served the Colleges since 1988. She earned her bachelor of arts at University of California, Berkeley, her master’s at NYU, and returned to Berkeley for her Ph.D. She developed feature film projects for Bona Fide Productions, including scripts for the films Election, which was nominated for an Academy Award, and The Wood. Lyon was a co-founder and co-editor of the feminist film theory journal Camera Obscura.

D. Brooks McKinney (Geoscience), a member of the faculty since 1984, has spearheaded the creation of field experiences across the country for HWS students. He earned his bachelor of science from Beloit College and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. In his honor, the Colleges established the Geoscience Field Study Fund, which supports scholarships for students conducting hands-on research in geoscience.

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Susanne McNally (History), former dean of William Smith College, joined the faculty in 1972 teaching in a variety of interdisciplinary programs including women’s studies, Russian area studies, Asian studies and environmental studies. She has served as the Dean of William Smith College, in the Provost’s Office and on the Committees on Standards and Academic Affairs.

McNally earned her bachelor’s from Douglass College, her master’s from Claremont, and her Ph.D. from SUNY Binghamton.

Edgar Paiewonsky-Conde (Spanish and Hispanic Studies) joined the faculty in 1987. His scholarship includes critical articles of lasting influence on the Spanish Renaissance and the narrative of contemporary Latin America. Paiewonsky-Conde’s verbal poetry, both the traditional and a minimalist mode, has appeared in North American anthologies and Latin American publications. His ”eye poems,“ a visual poetry project decades in the making, has recently appeared in print and electronically. In 2015, he received the faculty prize for teaching. He received his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. from New York University.

John Vaughn P’08 (Mathematics and Computer Science) has played a key role in furthering the study of technological advancement through his robotics courses and leading the HWS Robotics club since joining the faculty in 1985. He was also an instructor in the Colleges’ Second Chances Program, which gives incarcerated individuals the opportunity to take college courses. Vaughn earned his B.S. from the University of Houston, M.S. from the St. Louis University and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

CAMPUS NEWS

Jessica Hayes-Conroy (Women’s Studies), whose research focuses on alternative food activism, nutrition intervention and social difference, is the author of Savoring Alternative Food: School Gardens, Healthy Eating, and Visceral Difference. She joined the faculty in 2011 with a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College, an M.A. from the University of Vermont and a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University.

Courtney Wells (French and Francophone Studies), who joined the faculty in 2012, holds a B.A. from the University of Dallas, and a M.A. and Ph.D. from Boston University.

His teaching and research interests span medieval lyric poetry, the oral and written transmission of medieval texts, Renaissance, and contemporary Catalan and Occitan culture.

Tools of the Trade “When you’re an artist, keeping a sketchbook with you wherever you go is absolutely vital. You never know when or where you’ll find inspiration, and you never want to miss out on a good idea. This particular book belongs to Daniel Lerch ’21 and he used it during his ‘Three-Dimensional Design’ course.”

“Our students also learn intaglio printmaking, which involves taking an etched metal plate like this, coating it in ink and wiping the excess off to leave only ink in the etched design.

The plate is then run through the printing press, which forces the ink out from the plate onto the corresponding paper. This particular design resembles the ‘Love’ mural in downtown Geneva on Linden Street and was made by Ali Bruckner ‘19.”

“The 10-inch, heavy duty sawblade helps our students execute a variety of projects in our wood shop, which is supervised by alumna Aubrey Phillips ’18. Our state-of-the-art woodshop is also where Phillips began learning the craft, blossomed as a teaching assistant, and excelled as a designer in her own right.”

“We use rollers like this in creating woodcuts— prints that are widely admired for their graphic power. The technique has been used by many cultures across the globe, and is just one of several methods Professor of Art and Architecture Phillia Yi teaches in her printmaking courses, some of the most popular classes in the department.”

Creating the State of the Art Ideas don’t sleep at the Katherine D. Elliott Studio Art Center, where the lights are often on late into the night as students caked in charcoal, clay, paint, sawdust— you name it— find their fuel in caffeine and creativity. They’re often preparing their work for Professor of Art and Architecture Nick Ruth, who explains the tools he, his colleagues, and patrons of the arts use to move ideas into reality.

12 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

“Welding tools such as these and chisels were used to create many of the sculptures on campus including the Elizabeth Blackwell Statue on the Quad, by Professor of Art and Architecture A.E. Ted Aub."

“When the going gets tough, try not to lose your sense of adventure and the joy of discovery.

Chances are something great is right around the corner.” – John Grotzinger ’79, Sc.D. ’13

Commencement 2018

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CAMPUS NEWS

ecounting the trials and adventures following his own graduation, Hobart and William Smith 2018 Commencement speaker John Grotzinger ’79, Sc.D. ’13, the mission leader and project scientist for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory, advised graduates “to seek out the difficult challenges and invest all that you have in them.”

The 2018 Commencement ceremony marked the 107th graduation for William Smith and the 193rd graduation for Hobart. The Colleges awarded honorary degrees to Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68, chair of the Board of Trustees and CEO and chair of the Bozzuto Group; Carolyn Carr McGuire ’78, former trustee and cofounder and co-chair of the Community Consulting Teams of Boston; and Dr. Garry A. Mendez Jr. ’58, P’96, the executive director of the National Trust for the Development of African American Men.

Hobart student speaker Almamy Conde ’18 William Smith student speaker Quinn Cullum ’18

Top: John Grotzinger ’79, Sc.D.’13 delivers the Commencement Address.

Right: Carolyn Carr McGuire L.H.D. '18, Commencement speaker John Grotzinger '79, Sc.D. '13, Interim President Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. ’12, Garry A. Mendez Jr. ’58, P’96, L.H.D. '18 and Chair of the Board of Trustees Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68, L.H.D. '18 gather before the ceremony.

To watch the Commencement ceremony or read transcripts, visit www.hws.edu/news/commencement2018.aspx 13 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Fall 2018

2018 Milestones

As we look toward the future of the Colleges, we celebrate the anniversaries that have shaped the rich history and distinguished traditions of Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

200 years ago… “Tradition has it that in the gray, predawn hours of a day in September 1818, Bishop Hobart led a small group to a hillside overlooking Seneca Lake. ’Here, gentlemen,’ he stated as he slowly raised his staff and stuck it into the ground, ’is the spot for the College.’” –H Book

120 years ago…

Lacrosse, “the fastest game on two feet,” was introduced to the Hobart College campus

by Professor of Philosophy Joseph A. Leighton, who led the Statesmen in their first game against now traditional rival Cornell, on April 5, 1898.

80 years ago… The first co-ed classes between Hobart College and William Smith College were offered in 1938.

60 years ago… In 1958, at

the 50th anniversary Convocation of William Smith College, Hobart and William Smith gave the inaugural Elizabeth Blackwell Award to Gwendolyn Grant Mellon, a medical missionary and founder of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti.

50 years ago… Creating

1958: Gwendolyn Grant Mellon

a new model for development, the Colleges and community leaders partnered to create the Geneva Scholarship Associates, which supports exceptional Geneva high school graduates with financial need in attending the Colleges. Since then, GSA has provided scholarship assistance to more than 200 Geneva youth and created more than $2 million in permanent scholarship funding.

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50

years ago... Professor Emeritus of Geoscience Donald L. Woodrow P’83, GP'15 and Professor Emeritus of Geoscience William F. Ahrnsbrak P'86 founded the Department of Geoscience.

The program spurred annual HWS meteorology expeditions across the country, research on lake-effect systems funded by the National Science Foundation, and developed scientists such as Matt Lamanna ’97(see page 39), who has discovered five dinosaurs (so far), and John Grotzinger ’79, Sc.D. ’13 (see page 12), who found evidence that Mars can support life.

Professor Donald Woodrow (r) with students, 1968.

40 years ago… Hobart hockey debuted as an official NCAA Division

III team during the winter season in 1978 after operating as a club sport since the 1940s. After depending on the financial support of players and former hockey team members, the team gained the official backing of the athletic association and kicked off its first official season against St. John Fisher, which ended in a 3-3 tie.

20

years ago… HWS established the Fisher Center for the Study of Women and Men, endowed with a $1 million gift from Emily H. Fisher P’93, L.H.D. ’04 to support research and dialogue about gender and justice through curricular, programmatic and scholarly projects.

1988 William Smith Soccer Champions led by Head Coach Aliceann G. Wilber P'12.

10

years ago…Clarence “Dave” Davis Jr. ’48 made a leadership gift to create The Davis Gallery at Houghton House, which hosts pieces from notable artists throughout the world as well as students, faculty and staff.

10 years ago… As part of the celebration of the

“The visual arts are a natural and important part of our culture, and a school of the caliber of Hobart and William Smith should have a strong arts program to support a wide-ranging cultural education.”

— Clarence “Dave” Davis Jr. ’48

William Smith Centennial, the Centennial Center opened thanks to the support of numerous alums, including a lead gift from Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Cynthia Gelsthorpe Fish ’82. The Centennial Center prepares students for success in leadership and entrepreneurship through programs in applied learning and hands-on experience, ranging from the HWS Leads program and the Stu Lieblein ’90 Pitch Contest, to the Leadership Institute and the HWS Hackathon.

15 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Fall 2018

CAMPUS NEWS

30 years ago…

In 1988, the William Smith soccer team became the first Heron team to win a national championship, capping a 161-3 season with a 1-0 triple overtime win over UC-San Diego in the NCAA Division III Championship match.

Members of the Rochester alumni chapter (Eta Rho Lambda) and the Hobart chapter (Upsilon Pi) of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity gather at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Geneva to honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 50th anniversary of King's death in April.

Alpha Phi Alpha Honors MLK Remembering 9/11

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o commemorate the victims of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, members of Kappa Alpha Society placed 2,977 American flags on the Quad in observance of the 17th anniversary of the tragedy. This year, the brothers assembled additional flags to represent 372 foreign nationals from more than 60 countries who also lost their lives.

“This is a powerful experience for us as a brotherhood and as a campus each year,” says Kappa Alpha president Steven Ives ’19, who reflects on the 2001 tragedy as one of his earliest memories. “We find peace in paying tribute to the victims in our own way and remembering 9/11 together.”

This year, HWS community members also attended a candlelight vigil organized by the Young Americans for Freedom on “This is a powerful the steps of Coxe Hall, and attended experience for us as a the City of Geneva ceremony at brotherhood and as a Lakefront Park. campus each year."

In 2001, the HWS community – Kappa Alpha president lost three alumni during the attacks Steven Ives ’19 at the World Trade Center, all of whom worked for the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald: Andrew H. Golkin ’93, Scott W. Rohner ’01 and Michael J. Simon ’83, P’11, P’13. A memorial plaque dedicated to the Hobart alums was placed on campus at the Abbe Center for Jewish Life, and Kappa Alpha’s tribute coincides with additional memorials on campus and in Geneva each year.

Kappa Alpha’s tradition was established in 2014 by Connor May ’16 and Jack Slattery ’16, who were both impacted by the attacks and wanted a way to touch future generations. May’s uncle is a survivor, while Slattery was able to see the World Trade Center from his second grade classroom.

The brothers wanted to create “a tribute that will serve as a reminder of the severity and amount of lives lost,” says May, as well as “a symbol showing we haven’t forgotten.”

H

obart’s chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first fraternity established for African American men, led a citywide celebration of the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, the 50th anniversary of his death.

“A lot of the issues for which Dr. King lived and died are still relevant 50 years later, and we must ask where we go from here,” says Associate Vice President of Campus Life and Dean of Students Montrose Streeter, a member of the fraternity who helped organize the forum. “Hopefully we are compelled to take up the torch and continue to work together as a community toward a more equitable and just world.”

The forum included a keynote address from Assistant Professor of Political Science and Chair of Africana Studies Justin Rose, as well as remarks from local NAACP president Lucile Mallard L.H.D. ’15 and brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha.

“The 50th anniversary makes me understand that our heroes only become more important and relevant with time,” says then Former Alpha Phi Alpha President Sadeek Walker ’18 Alpha Phi Alpha President Sadeek Walker ’18, who now works for the law firm Sidley Austin LLP in New York City. “In my early college years, I came to realize that Dr. King is arguably the most important American leader of the 20th century. Growing up, I understood Dr. King as a civil rights hero, but within the past few years, I’ve come to understand his role as a global leader.”

Alpha Phi Alpha was formed at HWS in 2014 and officially inducted its inaugural chapter of 14 students last fall. Founded at Cornell University in 1906, Alpha Phi Alpha has since supplied voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of color around the world.

The fraternity has been interracial since 1945.

In addition to leading the MLK 50 event, Alpha Phi Alpha is developing three initiatives to increase voter turnout and graduation rates in the Geneva community. The chapter also joins its national organization in supporting Project Alpha, an initiative dedicated to providing social support to young men between the ages of 12 and 15.

“In the short amount of time since I’ve become an Alpha man, I have been extremely impressed with the growth each of our members has experienced,” says Almamy Conde ’18, who graduated with a major in economics and is now a sales and marketing associate at Bozzuto Group. “We began as 14 individuals and ended up becoming brothers throughout the process.”

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“The women involved with this t the end of the 2017 fall semester, 41 organization are exemplary leaders; they are William Smith students were inducted scholars, athletes, trustees, club presidents, into the Colleges’ first sorority, Theta volunteers, and so much more. I think it’s Phi Alpha. amazing that one organization can bring

Founded in 1912 at the University of so many diverse and talented women Michigan, Theta Phi Alpha works to empower together,” says Student Trustee and Theta Phi women to achieve academic excellence and Alpha sister Caitlin Lasher ’19. professional success, while demonstrating a

While William Smith students have commitment to social service. The chapter discussed the possibility of a sorority for joins Hobart’s eight recognized Greek organizations, some of which have been part of decades, the new addition to campus reflects the changing landscape of Title IX legislation campus life since as early as 1857. that has evolved to recognize

“Initiatives like William Greek life as an educational Smith @ Work, the Public “There is “a growing opportunity, a distinction that Leadership Education Network momentum on campus mandates accessibility for all (PLEN), Women’s Collective, around women and students. our honors societies, Girl Up “It was not only critical and many other organizations leadership. The sorority that we honor the wishes of our all speak to a growing is an extension of that students and comply with Title momentum on campus around energy.” — William Smith IX federal law, but also continue women and leadership. The Dean Lisa Kaenzig P’22 to foster an environment that sorority is an extension of that meets a variety of student energy,” says William Smith needs,” says Vice President Dean Lisa Kaenzig P’22. “Theta of Campus Life Robb Flowers. “With solid Phi Alpha joins in that community of women mentorship and strong goals, Theta Phi Alpha supporting each other while fostering the will become an excellent example of Greek diversity of voices on campus and reflecting life and contribute positively to an inclusive the values of William Smith College.” campus community.”

Theta Phi Alpha welcomes all individuals

The William Smith chapter will compete who identify as women and embraces nationally for strongest philanthropic efforts members who transition to new gender and the highest GPA. In addition to valuing identities. Nationally, the sorority supports philanthropy and academic success, members services for the homeless and low-income like Chapter President Rachel Irizarry ’19 are populations in rural Appalachia and a summer determined to create a model for sorority life camp for under-serviced youth. During the that embraces diversity and inclusivity. spring semester, the William Smith chapter

“When I took the time to learn about hosted a clothing drive to support the Geneva what Theta Phi Alpha has to offer, I discovered Center for Concern and held a bowling that it was an amazing opportunity to create a fundraiser to support the children of local network that will support you in every aspect veterans.

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of your life,” says Irizarry, who is also an outreach officer for the Asian Student Union.

“After talking with any one of us, anyone with concerns will know right off the bat that we are anything but exclusive.”

“William Smith women have historically Chapter President Rachel Irizarry ’19 navigated change by celebrating their differences as much as their similarities. In a community built upon respect, this is a new moment for mutual understanding and growth,” says Associate Vice President for Advancement and Alumnae Relations Kathy Killius Regan ’82, P’13. “William Smith women have never defined themselves in limited terms, and a new generation of Herons has embraced that in their own way.”

Greek Life at Hobart • Established: 1840 • Total organizations: 8 • Alpha Phi Alpha, Chi Phi, Delta Chi, Kappa Alpha Society, Kappa Sigma, Phi Sigma Kappa, Sigma Chi, and Theta Delta Chi • Favorite ways to give back: Geneva’s afterschool program Neighbors Night, the Community Lunch Program, registering voters, mentoring Geneva youth, and fundraising for a variety of organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the Salvation Army • Oldest remaining fraternity: Theta Delta Chi, established 1857 • Highest average GPA: Kappa Alpha, 3.36

CAMPUS NEWS

Students Establish Sorority at William Smith

Tutor Corps is

HWS students volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club of Geneva

PHOTOS BY KEVIN COLTON

funded in part by a 21st Century Grant from the U.S. Department of Education that encourages enrichment opportunities outside of the traditional school day. It is also supported by Geneva 2020, the collective impact initiative that leverages public and private partnerships in the community to support the education of Geneva’s children. Tutor Corps complements the efforts of America Reads, which is in its 28th year and was originally founded as the Student Literacy Corps with support from Professor of Education Charlie Temple and Professor of Public Policy Craig Rimmerman.

Tutoring Tomorrow

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fter snack time and group read, children at the Boys and Girls Club of Geneva get ready to learn something new with a little help from the Tutor Corps – a dedicated group of 42 Hobart and William Smith students who show up at the Boys and Girls Club every school day to mentor Geneva youth.

Created by Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club Christopher Lavin ’81 last year, the Tutor Corps expands long-running academic coaching efforts and provides one-on-one sessions for elementary and middle school students in the Geneva community. Along with helping students understand and complete their homework, HWS tutors bring a more intangible goal to their tutoring sessions, which is at work when students are listened to and respected, and in the long run, inspired to succeed.

Tutoring begins with Power Hour, during which students can be found workshopping writing assignments, learning tricks to memorize multiplication tables or asking their tutors a million questions – about where they’re from, how to get into college, what their dream jobs are or their favorite books. While students often begin sessions feeling squirmy and doubting they’ll know how to complete their assignments, by the end their confidence has soared. Tutors Sean McCarthy ’20 and Tatianna Suriel ’20 say they know they’ve successfully explained a concept in the moments when Aidan smiles and gives a big high-five or when Layla offers to help another peer with the assignment.

With time left for fun, HWS students and Geneva elementary and middle schoolers learn just how similar they are on the basketball courts, over games of pool and in the art room. They’ll challenge Heron basketball player Kendra Quinn-Moultrie ’18 to a game or ask Micah Holloway ’21 to read them a book, and when they pack up for the day they’ll be prepared for school in the morning. —Natalia St. Lawrence ’16 Madeline Lacey ’19 goes over spelling strategies with a first grader.

Photo (top of page): Kendra Quinn-Moultrie ’18 (second to the left) and Juliana Gamboa-Wilson ‘21 (right) read The Frog Prince Continued with sixth graders.

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“As a staff member at the Boys and Girls Club, I see firsthand the impact that the HWS Tutor Corps members have on our kids when they interact over homework help sessions or through programs in the computer room, kitchen or gym. Having HWS students as tutors for our boys and girls emphasizes that college is a place where they belong and would thrive.”

–Alison Switzer ’15, site supervisor and BGC training manager

What qualities make a good tutor, student and friend?

Kendel, 1st grade: “He makes me laugh, he reads to me and we have fun doing homework.”

Micah Holloway ’21: “Wanting to explore and learn. Just like Kendel, I think learning should be seen as an academic adventure.”

In the future, how will you be of service to your community?

Mara Sindoni ’19: “Both Bella and I want to help others and contribute in various ways. As a mentor at the Boys and Girls club and as a youth basketball coach, I want to be a positive role model for youth in my community. One day I hope to be a psychologist for children and adolescents.”

What advice do you have for someone with big dreams?

What’s the most important lesson at the Boys and Girls Club?

Aidan, 5th grade: “Finish your math homework and try your best during Power Hour.”

D’Markos, 2nd grade: “The most important lesson is to treat everyone with respect.”

Sean McCarthy ’20: “Build a foundation based on hard work and a positive attitude. One day, Aidan plans to be a lawyer, an NBA player and the President of the United States. When we work together I emphasize that he can work towards those goals every single day.”

Tatianna Suriel ’20: “Learning is a choice and also a non-refundable opportunity; it can be fun and it is not all about getting a perfect grade, but about understanding new concepts, making connections, and helping yourself in the long run. Also, with the right attitude all students can attain their goals.”

“The attention and understanding HWS tutors show to our kids has flooded their lives. They arrive each day asking, “Where’s my tutor?’’ Some of my toughest young men have been softened by the care and understanding of both Hobart and William Smith students. It has been a game changer for us.”

–Christopher Lavin ’81, Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Geneva

19 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Fall 2018

CAMPUS NEWS

Bella, 4th grade: “I want to be a doctor and a ballerina.”

William Smith lacrosse wins their third straight Liberty League regular season title.

Athletics

| 2017-18 Winter and Spring ROUND UP

BLOCK H TOP AWARDS Hobart Athletics and the SAA honored the top student-athletes at the annual Block H Dinner in April. Record-breaking quarterback Shane Sweeney ’18 (right) took home the Francis L. “Babe” Kraus ’24 Memorial Award as the most outstanding senior athlete. He threw for 7,385 yards and 71 touchdowns while eclipsing all of Hobart’s major passing records. Sweeney now coaches at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. HERON AWARDS When William Smith Athletics handed out its end of year awards, field hockey’s Hannah Wood ’18 (left) received top honors. The Winn-Seeley Award winner was a three-time All-American and scored a program record 95 career goals. A three-time Liberty League All-Academic pick, Wood was a standout in the classroom and an engaged member of the campus community. Wood is now serving as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Sacramento, Calif.

HOBART HOCKEY (18-6-5, 12-3-3) The Statesmen skated into the New England Hockey Conference following three straight ECAC West Tournament Championships and

didn’t miss a beat. Hobart went 3-0-1 against defending national champion Norwich, including a 3-0 shutout in the NEHC Tournament championship game. The Statesmen were ranked No. 7 in the nation in the final USCHO.com and D3hockey. com polls.

Defenseman Tanner Shaw ’19 was named an AHCA AllAmerican, earning a spot on The Hobart hockey team with Head Coach Mark Taylor (left) and Assistant Coach Tom Fiorentino ’14 after winning the New England Hockey Conference the East third team. Forward Jonas Toupal ’19 led the team Championship in March. in scoring and earned a place itself into the D3hoops.com top 25 on its way to on the Google Cloud Academic All-District the Liberty League regular season championship team. Both Shaw and Toupal earned first team and the highest winning percentage in program All-NEHC honors. history.

Both Colin Dougherty ’19 and Jamal Lucas WILLIAM SMITH HOCKEY ’19 scored their 1,000th career point during the (16-6-4, 11-2-3) season and earned D3hoops.com and NABC William Smith started the season with a All-East accolades. nine-game unbeaten streak and finished the year second in the United Collegiate Hockey WILLIAM SMITH BASKETBALL (15-11, 9-9) Conference regular season standings, securing Also sporting a young lineup, the Herons the program’s first conference tournament earned a spot in the Liberty League berth. Although the season ended with a heartTournament. William Smith won four of its final breaking overtime loss in the UCHC semifinals, five regular season games—including a 94-83 the Herons took a major step forward. overtime win against Clarkson, a game in which

Head Coach Jaime Totten was voted the Herons clinched the sixth and final spot in the UCHC Coach of the Year by her peers. the conference playoffs.

Defender Rebecca Begley ’18 was elected to

Forward Mia Morrison ’19 became the 17th the All-UCHC first team with goaltender Maggie Heron to record 1,000 career points and was Salmon ’18 and forward Krista Federow ’18 recognized with D3hoops.com All-East honors. garnering second team praise. Salmon holds all of the program’s goalie records while Federow WILLIAM SMITH SQUASH (13-7) owns the marks for goals, assists and points.

William Smith ended the season with a sixmatch winning streak that saw the team capture HOBART BASKETBALL (21-5, 16-2) the Epps Cup at the CSA Team Championships.

A young Statesmen squad used a recordThe Herons secured their fifth CSA cup with a breaking 15-game winning streak to propel 5-4 win over Bowdoin in the title match.

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Mia Morrison ’19 is the 17th Heron to record 1,000 career points.

HOBART SQUASH (13-9) At the CSA Team Championships, Hobart dropped a heart-breaking 5-4 decision to Bowdoin in the title match of the Conroy Cup. Josh Oakley ’19 led the Statesmen from the No. 1 spot in the order. He was 13-7 and earned All-Liberty League honors. Quinn Udy ’21 joined the team midseason and went 7-5, garnering All-Liberty League honorable mention.

WILLIAM SMITH SWIMMING & DIVING (8-2) It was a record-breaking season for Anna Leffler ’20.

She had a hand in seven school records and one pool record. Leffler eclipsed the school record in the 100-yard backstroke three times in one 24-hour period during the Liberty League Championship meet, ultimately lowering the mark to 58.80. The Herons finished seventh in the conference title chase.

HWS SAILING The Hobart and William Smith sailing team closed out the 2017-18 season with a fourth place finish at the College Sailing/Gill Coed National Championships in Norfolk, Va., just one point behind third-place Georgetown.

After advancing from the semifinals, the Colleges secured their spot as one of 18 teams competing for the national championship.

The team’s fourth place finish was its best finish since taking second at the event in 2011. The Colleges also competed in the ICSA LaserPerformance Team Race National Championship and William Smith vied for the ICSA Sperry Women’s National Championship.

The team finished in third place in both regattas.

WILLIAM SMITH LACROSSE (15-5, 9-1) The Herons’ third straight Liberty League regular season title hinged on a late rally at nationally ranked Ithaca. Trailing the Bombers 8-6 with less than seven minutes remaining, Melissa Moore ’18 scored twice to tie the game and Sarah Benyo ’18 notched the game winner with just 72 seconds remaining.

The two teams met again in the Liberty League Tournament Championship and this time, the Herons left no doubt, clinching their third consecutive tournament crown with a 15-10 triumph. Moore was named the tournament MVP after producing seven points in the title tilt.

Moore and Mekayla Montgomery ’20 represented the team on the IWLCA All-America teams. Moore, a second team pick, led the team in goals, assists, points, ground balls and caused turnovers while Montgomery, a third team pick, nearly broke the program record for draws in a season and matched Moore in ground balls.

HOBART LACROSSE (4-10, 1-5) Five of the Statesmen’s 14 games were decided by just a single goal with four of those results going on the wrong side of the ledger.

Faceoff specialist Matthew Pedicine ’19 (more on page 18) and midfielder Ryan Archer ’21 both earned a spot on the AllNEC second team.

Attackman Chris Aslanian ’19 led the Statesmen with 47 points and will enter his senior season among the top 10 in goals, assists and points in Hobart’s Division I era.

Defensive midfielder Stanny Gilbertson ’19 was named the Arthur Ashe Jr. Men’s Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He was one of 11 student-athletes from HWS recognized as Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award recipients.

HOBART ROWING Once again, the Hobart rowing team proved to be best in the Liberty League, winning its 13th consecutive championship. The varsity eight earned its 14th straight gold medal with a nearly four-second victory over runner-up Ithaca. The second varsity eight won by an eye-popping 26 seconds. A week later, Hobart returned from the National Invitational Rowing Championships with a gold (3V8), a silver (2V8) and a bronze (V8).

WILLIAM SMITH ROWING The Herons were ranked among the best in the nation throughout the spring, landing at No. 9 in the final Coaches Poll. William Smith was second in the varsity eight and third in the second varsity eight and varsity four races at the conference regatta. The following afternoon, the Heron V8 earned a bronze medal in the New York State Championships.

HOBART TENNIS (13-7, 6-2) Led by a strong corps of young players, Hobart had four players with 13 or more singles wins, including Alan Dubrovsky ’20 and Jonah Salita ’19,

Alan Dubrovsky ’20 became the first player to secure 21 wins since the 2004-05 season.

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who both earned first team All-Liberty League honors. With a 21-7 record playing mostly at No. 1, Dubrovsky was the first Statesman with 21 wins since Peter Piné ’05 in 2004-05.

Dubrovsky and Salita also received first team All-Liberty League doubles recognition.

Hobart ended the season with wins in eight of its final 10 matches. The Statesmen, seeded third, advanced to the Liberty League Tournament semifinals.

WILLIAM SMITH TENNIS (12-7, 4-3) William Smith used several lineup combinations throughout the season, with at least four different Herons playing in each of the six singles spots. Allie Perron ’20 played at No. 1 and earned second team All-Liberty League singles recognition. Michaelann Denton ’19 and Dina Rigas ’21, William Smith’s top doubles team, went 11-7 in dual matches and garnered second team All-Liberty League praise.

The Herons were seeded fourth in the Liberty League Tournament and advanced to the semifinals.

HOBART GOLF The Statesmen produced their best team score in a round at the Dr. Tim Brown Invitational.

Hobart improved 15 strokes from Round 1 to Round 2, posting a 331. The Statesmen had four rounds in the 70s this season, including a 78 by Teagan Meehan ‘20 at the Dr. Brown Invitational. At the Liberty League Championship, Hobart was seventh.

WILLIAM SMITH GOLF Rachel McKay ’18 produced seven of the team’s top eight rounds and recorded the third best scoring average in program history.

William Smith won its lone dual match of the year, defeating St. Lawrence, posted its best tournament finish at Hamilton (2nd out of 7), and placed eighth at the Liberty League Championship.

HOBART FOOTBALL In March, Head Coach Mike Cragg P’13 announced after 32 years as a coach, he was transitioning into the Office of Advancement as the senior director of development for athletics.

Kevin DeWall ’00 returned to his alma mater to lead the football program after three seasons as head coach at Endicott College. A former Statesman defensive back, as well as a lacrosse attackman, he served 15 seasons on Cragg’s staff, including 12 as offensive coordinator.

CAMPUS NEWS

Playing in the top spot in the lineup, Gabby Fraser ’20 posted a team best 16-6 record and was voted the Liberty League Player of the Year. Jo Pacheco ’21 compiled a 12-4 record playing at No. 2 or No. 3 on her way to the Liberty League Rookie of the Year award.

PHOTO BY KEVIN COLTON

22 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

PLAYBACK B Who:

Midfielder Matthew Pedicine ’19

What:

Statesmen vs. the Orange

When // where: Pedicine triumphs in this faceoff, scooping the ground ball and scoring for Hobart. The midfielder won 10 of 18 faceoffs during that game, which ultimately went to Syracuse.

“At this moment, I’m hoping Matt can pick this ball up and make a pass to one of our men who can attack the goal,” says Head Coach Greg Raymond, who has amassed the most wins in a five-season span since the team moved to Division I in 1995. “This photo proves Matt is one of the most competitive and tactically sound face-off guys in the country.”

A media and society major, Pedicine closed his junior year by breaking the Hobart Division I season record for faceoff winning percentage, raising the mark to .659. Off the field, Pedicine interned at the IT recruiting firm RennerBrown last summer and coached youth lacrosse this summer in his hometown of Clark, N.J.

Lacrosse has always been a major part of my life, and the friends and connections I’ve made through the love of the game have made it even better.”

— Matthew Pedicine ’19

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CAMPUS NEWS

April 3 // Carrier Dome

FAN/ZONE

The most devoted fans tailgate no matter the weather and endure long car rides to cheer on their favorite Hobart and William Smith teams. We reached out to those who make a big impact on the sidelines, the unsung heroes of every victory, to share their stories.

Hannah Weingast, age 11 Claim to Fame: Her homemade Heron costume HWS Connection: Her sister Lizzy Weingast ’18, a forward on the William Smith ice hockey team

“I worked on my costume every day after school for about a week. I love to see all the girls play hockey. I think it’s more interesting than watching sports like boys’ lacrosse or boys’ football. When I’m in college, I want to be on the riding team.”

“Ever since I started at HWS, my whole family always joked how she was the Heron mascot for William Smith ice hockey so when she surprised my teammates and me in her handmade outfit, I honestly got a little choked up and couldn’t stop laughing.”

– Lizzy Weingast ’18

Jon McGriff P’15 Claim to Fame: Leading the cheer after every touchdown with his megaphone, signed by the Hobart football team of 2015 HWS Connection: His son Matt McGriff ’15, a former Hobart football linebacker and co-captain

“I’ve led the cheer over 200 times in the past seven years. These are lifelong friends for my son and lifelong friends for my wife and myself— from the players to the parents. I started leading the Hobart cheer when Matthew was a sophomore.

When he was a senior, during the St. Lawrence game, I took the megaphone to the locker room for everyone to sign.

If the team gets back together for Team of the Century, I’ll have that megaphone there to cheer them on and we’ll have a whole new team of Hobart Statesmen sign it too.”

“To create a great program, you need to instill a winning culture and with that you need everyone to buy in. Dad let the guys know that family extended outside the locker room.

As parents, they traveled with us, cheered for us, won with us and lost with us. His presence was felt at the games, and his few absences were noticed as well. He was helping us create a culture of winning while also tightening the family.” – Matt McGriff ’15 24 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

In 1988, William Smith lacrosse was on top of its game.

The 33 women were the first Heron lacrosse players to make it to the NCAA National Championship game since the program’s founding 16 years prior, paving the way for their own glory in the dawn of women’s college sports. Thirty years and five NCAA championship game appearances later, we take a look at what it took to build a team.

1988

2018

Players: 33

Players: 29

Coach: Pat Genovese P’01, P’03, P’05, P’08 Ranking: No. 2 in Division III Top Players: Heather Dwinnell Collins ’90 with 73 goals for a season record; GK Susan Stuart-Elliott ’89 9.32 GAA, .609 SV%, 15-3 W-L. Record: 15-3 overall Memorable moment: In the state championship game, William Smith secured a nail-biting 14-13 victory over St. Lawrence. The Herons rallied from an 8-6 halftime deficit to take a 12-10 lead. The Saints pulled even at 13-all with three minutes remaining, but tournament MVP Karen Carpenter Gray ’88, P’19, P’22 scored with just 92 seconds left.

Coach: Anne Phillips Ranking: As high as No. 5 in the IWLCA Division III poll.

Top Players: Melissa Moore ’18 with 50 goals; GK Jules Kennedy 6.79 GAA, .510 SV%, 12-3 W-L Record: 15-5 overall.

Memorable moment: Trailing No. 14 Ithaca with less than seven minutes to go, Melissa Moore ’18 scored back-to-back goals to tie the game and Sarah Benyo ’18 netted the game-winner with less than 90 seconds remaining. The win was key to clinching the No. 1 seed in the Liberty League Tournament, which William Smith went on to win for the third straight year.

Most popular majors at graduation: English, sociology and psychology

Most popular majors: To be decided. With nearly half of players beginning their sophomore year this fall, the interests of William Smith lacrosse range from international relations to biology and dance.

Average GPA: Records don’t go back that far.

Average GPA: 3.46

Community Service: Geneva youth sports programs, the HWS Phonathon, the Lake Race and Tour for United Way Uniform: Plaid skirts and heavy cotton polo jerseys.

Leg-warmers optional.

Notable outcomes: Melissa Crowley Price ’91, Heather Dwinnell Collins ’90, Moira Lewis Leavitt ’88, Kathleen Odomirok-Hoffman ’89 and Susan StuartElliott ’89 now coach teams of their own. (see p. 56 for a profile of Stuart-Elliott)

Community service: Days of Service, drives for hurricane relief for the citizens of Texas and Puerto Rico Uniform: Major brand lacrosse skirts with breathable, wicking fabric jerseys. Spandex leggings.

Notable outcomes: Athletes have interned at the U.S. Senate, studied across the globe and secured the coveted Charles H. Salisbury Summer International Internship Stipend. Sarah Benyo ’18 started medical school at Penn State College of Medicine this fall.

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CAMPUS NEWS

Then and Now: William Smith Lacrosse

Championship Week Behind the Scenes With no opportunity to waste and only 24 hours in a day, Benjamin Greiner ’18 and Andrew Silard ’18 make the most of it. The Hobart hockey teammates took the competition off the ice this spring as finalists in the Stu Lieblein ’90 Pitch Contest— once again proving that HWS student-athletes constantly strive beyond practice and game-time. This is how things get done on the clock as teammates and classmates fit Pitch preparation in between hockey practice and meetings for the HWS Finance Club, which Silard founded.

Benjamin Greiner ’18

Andrew Silard ’18

26 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

Wednesday, Feb. 28, 11:30 a.m.

Stern Hall Silard ’18 reviews a graded paper from Assistant Professor of Economics Warren Hamilton in his “Portfolio Analysis” class.

After graduating cum laude in economics and environmental studies, Silard continues crunching numbers and analyzing data in his role as multi-asset trader at LD Capital Markets, a hedge-fund based in Greenwich, Conn.

“I was motivated to compete in the Pitch because I believe in this idea,” said Silard, who worked closely with mentor Nan Doyal P’18, president of the International Forum.

Greiner proposed plans for the non-profit organization TalkAboutDepression.org, a resource that helps individuals provide support to those struggling with the condition. During development, Greiner consulted with alum mentor Dr. Katherine Platoni ’74, Col. (Ret.), national expert in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Saturday, March 3, 9 p.m.

Northfield, Vt. Silard (second from right), Greiner (right), teammates and Hobart hockey fans celebrate following the New England Hockey Conference Championship after triumphing over defending National Champions Norwich University. In three NEHC Tournament games, the Statesmen outscored their opposition 14-2.

Warren Hunting Smith Library Greiner ’18, who graduated summa cum laude, works with Kelsi Carr ‘18 on their entrepreneurial studies project, a business proposal including market research and value proposition for a sandwich shop in Geneva. Greiner, who hails from Newport Beach, Calif., is playing professionally on France's Les Johers hockey team, based in Clergy, and previously held a marketing internship at Advanced Management Group.

Greiner, Carr and the rest of their team presented the project later that day at the Bozzuto Center for Entrepreneurship at 22 Castle Street in downtown Geneva.

Thursday, March 1, 8:40 p.m.

Vandervort Room, Scandling Campus Center Greiner and Silard pose for a photo following The Stu Lieblein ’90 Pitch Contest, in which Silard secured a $10,000 grant to fund his start-up Revolve, a social media crowdfunding platform for non-profit organizations.

Saturday, March 10, 7:25 p.m.

The Cooler, Geneva, N.Y. After practicing for nearly 30 hours that week, Greiner, Silard and their teammates faced off against SUNY Geneseo in the first-round game of the NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championship. The Statesmen were ultimately edged out by the Knights, finishing the season with an 18-6-5 overall record.

After their final time on the ice, Greiner and Silard reflected on what it means to be Statesmen.

“My time on the Hobart hockey team has shaped me as a leader and a person off the ice. Being part of a program where culture is a priority, you carry it into the classroom and throughout campus,” says Greiner. “I couldn’t be more proud to be an alumnus.”

“Dedicating more than 30 hours a week to Hobart hockey required an unwavering commitment and discipline that spread to every facet of being a student-athlete,” says Silard. “The late practices, early work outs and long bus trips forced me into creating a balance between all of my responsibilities…to approach every situation with the same degree of intensity and effort.”

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CAMPUS NEWS

Thursday, March 1, 10:45 a.m.

Maya Weber ’20 and Hector Guzman ’20 on Seneca Lake in March.

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The Windward Duo N

orthwest winds barreled toward Seneca Lake as Hector Guzman ’20 and Maya Weber ’20 defended Hobart and William Smith’s David Arnoff Trophy from challengers on a 420 sailboat last fall. “The odds were against us,” says Guzman.

Ten points down from challenger Georgetown, Guzman, Weber and their teammates were fighting to secure the trophy for the second year in a row.

“It was cold; it was breezy. There was a lot of pressure to win here at home. But Maya and I pulled it together,” Guzman says. The sailing duo finished in the top 10 in all races that day, helping the Colleges win both divisions and keep the trophy once again.

“It’s always a good feeling to win, but you have to remember that you’re always working toward the next race and need to keep your momentum up,” says Weber. “You have to keep looking ahead.”

For the two economics majors, sailing is a mindset that extends beyond the 14 hours of practice each week. This summer, Weber competed on behalf of the U.S. at the Lightning Youth Worlds in Greece and interned at M&T Bank in Buffalo while Guzman, a long-time veteran of international competition, worked at a Chicago financial firm.

Coach Scott Iklé ’84, who led the team to the No. 3 slot in Sailing World’s college coed rankings last season, says from the first day they were partnered at practice, “it just clicked. They sense and know what the other person needs while racing.

There’s a synergy there where the whole is greater than the parts.”

Guzman grew up in Huixquilucan, Mexico, on a sailboat and began competing internationally at 11 years old. “I’ve made sacrifices to sail throughout my life and it’s

been worth it,” says Guzman, who plans to pursue a career in finance.

“I’ve skipped the ‘normal things’ kids do over the years so I can put my grades first and have the opportunity to compete. I’ve missed Christmases and vacations with my family. But the reason I chose to come to HWS was because I wanted a balance between a competitive sailing program and good academics. I don’t have to make that sacrifice here.”

Weber, a native of Amherst, N.Y., also is engaged beyond the water. On campus, she serves on the student advisory board for the Bozzuto Center for Entrepreneurship; is a member of the Finance Society, a career-readiness group led by the Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education; and works in the Office of Admissions.

“I wanted a school that was small and communityoriented. I wanted to be involved in classroom discussions and know my professors and Hector Guzman ’20 my peers in a profound way,” says Weber. “I’ve surrounded myself with a community that helps me stay passionate about what I like to do. Being part of a team has made a fundamental difference in my experience here.”

Iklé looks forward to future seasons with the duo. “On any athletic team, you work so hard together that there is a bond that can’t always be formulated in other ways. You’re setting goals. You’re trying to achieve something and you’re in it together.”

PHOTO BY KEVIN COLTON

29 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Fall 2018

CAMPUS NEWS

By Morgan Gilbard ’15

Maya Weber ’20

Silverman ’19 Wins USCSA Gold William “Myles” Silverman ’19 soared into first place in both the snowboard slalom and the giant slalom at the Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) National Championship, earning first team All American honors in both events. The national competition featured 527 of the best collegiate athletes in contests held at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, N.Y., in March.

“I was super stoked to see all my hard work pay off,” says Silverman, an economics major. “To be able to claim first place in both of my events and stand on the podium, even though I was coming back from an injury, just shows what I’m capable of.”

In individual performances in the Alpine Men’s Snowboard competition, Silverman finished first in both the giant slalom and slalom, vying against more than 50 competitors. In the men’s slalom, Silverman finished with a combined time of 51.25 seconds, and in the giant slalom with a combined time of 1:36:66 – more than five seconds faster than the second-place competitor.

This year, Silverman has set his sights on competing in the World University Games in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, and later hopes to qualify for a seat on the U.S. Olympic Team for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.

PHOTO BY KEVIN COLTON

30 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

CAMPUS NEWS

ca. 1897 The Geneva and Waterloo Railway Co.

A trolley conductor and passenger stand just beyond Geneva’s train station, a relic that

remains on the north side of Geneva today. In the years of the city’s streetcars, Hobart and William Smith students rode from Geneva’s north edge through downtown and across

Pulteney Street. Part of a larger network connecting the Finger Lakes to New York City and Buffalo, the streetcars operated in Geneva until replaced by buses in 1925, when

the Hobart Herald honored “the old trolley, which paraded up and down Pulteney Street in an amusing, unobtrusive way.”

31 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Fall 2018

32 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

Ask Alums Anything

C

uriosity and the liberal arts are intrinsically tied— both defined by an insatiable search for answers, new challenges and possibilities beyond designated limits. In honor of the curiosity that drives the Hobart and William Smith community, we turned to alums breaking new ground at the top of their fields for their expertise on everything from dinosaurs and blockchain to Vanity Fair and social change.

We dive into inquiry that isn’t satisfied by a Google search.

Here, we ask alums anything.

33 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Fall 2018

PHOTO BY KEVIN COLTON

34 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

Leo Rhodes ’01 vice president of finance and investor relations Shake Shack

What’s the most common myth about working in finance?

“I’m not really a finance guy, I just play one on TV. I understand finance, I’ve had good training, and to a certain extent that’s the lens through which I view the world. But one misconception can be that finance and accounting professionals are bean counters, crank out reports and send them out. Two of my colleagues once asked if I dream of numbers.

But for me, what’s rewarding is being a partner in the business, working with leadership teams to form and shape decisions, evaluating our current store portfolio, figuring out where we have pockets of strengths and where we have areas that are

35 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Fall 2018

Ask Alums Anything

In a global economy changing faster than the speed of light, Leo Rhodes ’01 brings passion and creativity to keeping profits up and millions employed for leading companies like Best Buy, Ralph Lauren and now, Shake Shack. For a profession too frequently defined by numbers alone, we asked Rhodes:

I have made is betting on ourselves, and we’ve been lucky.”

Rhodes held senior management positions at Best Buy and Ralph Lauren before accepting his current role at Shake Shack, where his team’s purview spans everything from financial planning and analysis, to identifying opportunities to drive business toward a target, to managing spending and investments. As for the company’s strategic goals, Rhodes is tasked with evaluating “a set of initiatives to determine where we want to be and valuing what those opportunities mean for the business. What do we expect the Shacks to do for us as we continue rapidly expanding THE CALCULATED RISK-TAKER the business? How do we continue to evolve ome people can tell you exactly our digital experience for our guests? How what they want to do, exactly can we better integrate third party delivery where they want to be in five capabilities with our operating model?” years,” says Leo Rhodes ’01, who joined

Over the past 20 years, Rhodes’ hard Shake Shack in 2018 as Vice President work and calculated risk-taking have paid of Finance and Investor Relations after off, but he is quick to note, “I’d be remiss spending nearly three years at Ralph Lauren. if I didn’t acknowledge the people I work “For me, that North Star with, the sponsors and mentors who is something that’s been challenged me in the right ways at the continually refined.”

As he looks right times to pursue my goals and

Rhodes estimates toward that objectives.” that he’s in the third phase As he looks toward that next next phase of his career. “Phase one” phase of his career, Rhodes feels began with an “internship of his career, confident he’s built “a portfolio of coming out of high school Rhodes feels experience that’ll prepare me for at M&T Bank,” which he whatever that is. When I think about confident he’s continued while majoring what’s next, I think about how I can in economics at HWS. built “a portfolio continue to operate on a larger stage

“I left HWS with a of experience and demonstrate that I can lead a strong foundation in how larger team and drive outcomes.” that’ll prepare to communicate, how He suspects that a C.F.O. role would to think critically,” says me for whatever be the right kind of outlet to take on Rhodes, who spent the that is.” these challenges, but says his current next few years delving position is “a good fit for where I’m at into commercial banking now.” while contemplating a

Opportunities arise. Plans change. “It’s different future. always good to have a goal,” Rhodes says,

Changing course during “phase two,” “but it’s important to be flexible, too.”

Rhodes left commercial banking to pursue –Andrew Wickenden ’09 his MBA at Indiana University. “I was earning good money in D.C. and had a good career in commercial banking when I applied to grad school, stopped working and took a bet on myself, betting that I’d come out better on the other side,” he recalls. “I thought heavily and sought counsel and it worked out. I got married, had kids and incurred debt but all for a goal of building toward something better. I’d say the biggest risk my wife and challenging. Why are these stores performing well, or why are these not performing to expectations? Then make an assessment and come up with a plan. We are the gatekeepers.

We have a fiduciary responsibility to the organization to make sure records are accurate and tight, to communicate how we’re doing internally and externally, so stakeholders — employees and investors— have visibility and know how the organization is performing and then can make an assessment on what’s next.”

“S

36 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

Dr. Carol Pappas ’71 neurologist At the helm of innovative research and treatment for nearly 40 years, Dr. Carol Pappas ’71 pushes the boundaries of what is known about the brain. Her advancements in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease are a testament to the power of endless curiosity and so we turned to Pappas to ask:

What have we learned about Parkinson’s disease lately and how has this translated into treatment?

“Traditionally Parkinson’s disease was thought to be primarily expressed through motor symptoms.

As we’ve gotten better at treating these motor symptoms, we’ve learned there are many, many non-motor symptoms involved.

These range from GI tract issues to psychosis to REM sleep behavior disorder, which is when you essentially act out your dreams, as well as anosmia, or the lack of sense of smell, and autonomic dysreflexia,

Ask Alums Anything PHOTO BY ZACH WITTMAN

“Nobody’s saying the word ‘cure’ yet, but we’re really teasing down deep into molecular changes.”

when autonomic functions like blood pressure control can be impaired.

If you said to someone ‘what’s Parkinson’s?’ they probably wouldn’t come up with that constellation of symptoms.

When a person is first diagnosed, they’ve probably lost about 70 percent of the neurons that produce dopamine in the substantia nigra. As the disease progresses, those neurons eventually die and the brain becomes totally dependent

on pills that contain Levadopa, which is widely considered to be the most effective medication, to provide any dopamine. As a consequence of lacking continuous dopamine, patients experience a peak of dopamine that falls off as the pill is metabolized, like a yo-yo. The consequence of this pulsatile stimulation is that patients develop all kinds of motor complications. When you see Michael J. Fox twisting for instance, it’s because his 37 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Fall 2018

receptors have a hyperactive response to the pills. It’s not the disease; it’s the treatment. He’s over-treating himself because if he didn’t he wouldn’t be able to move.

Modern approaches try to create continuous treatment, which more closely approximates the nonParkinsonian brain. These approaches include patch therapy in which a medication is absorbed by the skin

over 24 hours, deep brain stimulation and continuous pump therapies.

There are now several studies about the Parkinson’s Associated Risk Score, which calculates the risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease later in life. A drug to halt progression of disease or prevention of disease would be ideal, but is not yet available.

The disease is always going to progress, though we’re doing a great job with advances in treating symptoms. We have so many questions and are getting some answers, which lead to many more questions. Nobody’s saying the word ‘cure’ yet, but we’re really teasing down deep into molecular changes.”

THE DOCTOR IS IN

A

leading expert on Parkinson’s and other neurological diseases, Dr. Carol Pappas ’71 has spent nearly 40 years pushing treatment research into new frontiers, conducting surgery and deep brain stimulation, teaching students and residents, and treating her patients in private practice, about half of whom have degenerative disorders. For her, the science has become personal, and the stakes are higher than what CT or MRI scans can show.

“The nervous system makes us who we are,” says Pappas, who became captivated with the subject at William Smith after initially pursuing an English major.

When Pappas graduated, she enrolled in the Ph.D. program in neurophysiology at SUNY Upstate Medical Center, but found that her passion for working with people made her better suited to be a physician and decided to pursue her medical degree, too.

The nervous system was then and “still is somewhat uncharted territory,” Pappas says. “Things I was taught in the beginning of grad school have been totally disproven since. Even with my Ph.D., I did work that was written in stone since 1920, and guess what? It was wrong. I got to be part of that change, which was really exciting.”

Among her many accomplishments, Pappas was the first in the country to administer the Duopa procedure. Duopa, an intestinal gel version of Levadopa, is alternative treatment that circumvents some of the gastrointestinal complications that can prevent people with Parkinson’s from absorbing the pill form, a groundbreaking

development replacing an avenue that “wreaks havoc” on the body.

Instead of a pill, patients have a small feeding tube implanted into the duodenum where Duopa is pumped. Pappas performed the procedure on a mountain climber who had scaled Mount Everest before she developed Parkinson’s. Because of the disease, she had fallen and broken her neck but with the Duopa procedure, the patient “went from being on a ventilator to walking the next day,” Pappas says.

In another case, she was treating a 62-year-old man who’d had Parkinson’s for 20 years. “He had a tube for feeding, couldn’t talk, couldn’t move,” Pappas says. “I remember meeting him and being devastated at this otherwise healthy guy,” but after deep brain stimulation, and the institution of Duopa therapy “now he walks and he talks, doesn’t have a tremor. These therapies have been life changing for him.

There’s nothing more rewarding when patients undergoing deep brain stimulation are awake — they’re shaking like mad and you turn the stimulator on, and the tremors stop immediately. They can use their hands, wriggle their fingers, write.”

Like the other efficacious treatments, deep brain stimulation is one that can be finely tuned to a patient’s needs. Electrical stimulation is delivered through an electrode that is placed in tiny motor nuclei in the brain. DBS uses electrical stimulation, rather than medication to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. There is a generator, much like a pacemaker, placed under the collarbone. The electrical output of the electrode can be adjusted in frequency, voltage and configuration through the skin overlying the generator.

“You can adjust the programming of each electrode as patient’s symptoms progress,” Pappas says. Similarly, medications can be adjusted over the course of the disease to keep the symptoms and complications in check.

That evolving approach to therapy is important because Parkinson’s, she says, is “not a moment in time — it’s a lifetime, and the more we can change therapies to honor the progress of disease, the better we’ll be.”

–Andrew Wickenden ‘09

PHOTO BY KEVIN COLTON

38 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

Matthew Lamanna ’97 It’s been approximately 66 million years since dinosaurs last roamed the earth— and yet, the creatures still tower over us, accelerating our heart rates on the silver screen, dominating playtime for kids across the globe and captivating the world in museums. Matthew Lamanna ’97, the renowned paleontologist with numerous major discoveries to his name, has dedicated his career to uncovering the past and so we asked him the age-old question:

How would you defend yourself against a dinosaur?

“Along with friends in Egypt, Argentina, and here in the U.S., I’ve had the good fortune to have named two brand-new dinosaurs so far this

year, Mansourasaurus shahinae and Tratayenia rosalesi.

If you could take a time machine back about 80 million years and encounter Mansourasaurus in the flesh, you wouldn’t need to worry too much unless you were wearing a fern costume or you’re one of those tree people from The Lord of the Rings. That’s because Mansourasaurus is a sauropod, a long-necked,

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Ask Alums Anything

assistant curator of vertebrate paleontology Carnegie Museum of Natural History

elephant-sized plant-eating dinosaur. Unless you went up to Mansourasaurus and poked it with a stick, you’d likely have little to fear.

Tratayenia is another story. This thing was a ravenous, fleet-footed flesh-eater that boasted long jaws brimming with serrated teeth, powerful hind legs, and most remarkably, ginormous forelimbs tipped with claws well over a foot long. At up to 30 feet in length, it was the most formidable predator of the arid forests and plains of southern South America’s Patagonia region some 85 million years ago. If, hypothetically speaking, Jurassic Park were to someday become real, and someone decided to clone Tratayenia, you’d want to steer clear of that part of the island for sure. Because if this beast broke out of its paddock, and it was hungry, you’d have only one chance — RUN.”

THE DISCOVERY MAN

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bout 130 million years ago, a supercontinent was beginning to break apart to form the landmasses we know as Africa, South America, Madagascar, India, Australia and Antarctica. Social insects evolved to create complex social systems and flowering plants had recently appeared.

Much of the Sahara Desert was a lush tropical coastline, and dinosaurs were at the top of the food chain.

This is the world inhabited by Matt Lamanna ’97, assistant curator of vertebrate paleontology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Since 1998, Lamanna has traveled to all seven continents — and, in a sense, back in time — on paleontological expeditions that have produced new insights into the creatures that roamed Earth long before humankind.

While pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania, Lamanna traveled to Egypt with fellow Penn graduate students where they discovered a Paralititan (“tidal giant”), a giant herbivorous dinosaur that died in an ancient coastal environment in what is now the Sahara.

Following that first major discovery in 2000 — which was chronicled in the twohour A&E documentary The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt and a book by the same name published by Random House — Lamanna has directed or co-directed field expeditions spanning the globe, from Argentina to

“...if this beast broke out of its paddock, and it was hungry, you’d have only one chance — RUN.” China, Egypt to Greenland, uncovering previously unknown dinosaur species such as the 11-foot-tall, ostrich-like Anzu wyliei (a.k.a. the “Chicken from Hell”) and the 120-million-year-old water bird Gansus yumenensis.

Lamanna’s research has received coverage in major national and international news outlets, including CNN, The New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, NPR, the BBC, National Geographic and the Associated Press.

In his role at the Carnegie Museum, Lamanna served as lead scientific adviser for the museum’s $36 million, 18,000-squarefoot Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibition — the country’s third largest exhibit of mounted original dinosaur skeletons. Since 2012, he has been the director of the Antarctic Peninsula Paleontology Project, which has discovered hundreds of fossils from the end of the Age of Dinosaurs in the remote James Ross Basin of Antarctica. His latest co-discoveries in 2018, the Mansourasaurus shahinae and Tratayenia rosalesi, shed light on mysterious dinosaur faunas from near the end of the Cretaceous Period in Africa and South America.

Raised in Waterloo, N.Y., Lamanna double-majored in biology and geoscience at HWS, just 10 miles away from his hometown. He graduated with high honors and was awarded the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society prize. After graduation, he went on to study dinosaur paleontology in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania, earning his M.S. and Ph.D. –Andrew Wickenden ’09

Warren K. Zola ’89, P’18

executive director Boston College Chief Executive Club Bringing together visionaries at the top of their game is part of the daily routine for Warren K. Zola ’89, P’18.

As executive director of the Boston College Chief Executive Club, Zola connects leaders reshaping finance, media, medicine and more, making him the best person to ask:

What unexpected trait makes someone a strong leader?

“All of the CEOs that visit the Boston College Chief Executives Club run complex, global, successful organizations and come to us to share their views on leadership.

And while each of these CEOs has their own style and philosophy, there are consistent traits of exceptional leaders that emerge.

Above all else, leaders need to be decisive. All too often people delay, seeking to analyze data or reach consensus in their quest to make the perfect decision yet

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THE MBA MAVERICK

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arren Zola ’89, P’18 currently oversees Boston College’s Chief Executive Club, a premiere business forum where the nation’s top corporate and non-profit leaders gather for keynote addresses by visionary global CEOs.

“In my job, I have been fortunate to meet some of the most successful business leaders in the world,” Zola says. “As such, I have been in a unique position to learn from these men and women, who hail from a wide range of industries and backgrounds, and they have provided valuable insight into what it takes to be successful.”

Zola, who majored in economics at Hobart and William Smith, holds a J.D. from Tulane University, where he founded the Sports Law Society, and an M.B.A. from

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research shows that the ability to make decisions with speed and confidence over precision is the mark of a successful leader.

While it is inevitable that mistakes will be made, great leaders make those mistakes in their laboratory, learning from them, and evolving.

In addition to decisiveness, true leaders consistently lead with intent and passion. Reliably showing up every day with a purpose while embracing your core values is another constant theme.

Experienced leaders have the conviction of knowing when to make an unpopular decision for their business because of their moral compass.

Finally, progress is driven by the quest to better oneself and the world around you; learning is a lifelong process. Passionate curiosity is crucial. Adherence to the status quo leads to complacency and, as such, a great leader challenges dogma and is never afraid to ask ‘why?’ The best leaders welcome different perspectives and surround themselves with people who will challenge them. Not only does he or she ask questions, but they look to be questioned themselves. As any Hobart and William Smith alum knows, diversity of thought is critical to developing new ideas and evolving.”

“Adherence to the status quo leads to complacency and, as such, a great leader challenges dogma and is never afraid to ask ‘why?’”

Boston College. An attorney, a thought-leader in the business of sports and sports law, and a respected higher education professional, he has lectured around the country, served as a guest expert on a Congressional roundtable discussion about reform in college athletics, and written extensively at the intersection of business, law and sports. Zola joined Boston College in 1992 as assistant director of operations in the athletics department, served as assistant dean for graduate programs at the Carroll School of Management for a decade, and is now the executive director of the Boston College Chief Executives Club. Zola has also taught graduate management courses on the

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Business of Sports and Sports Law for over a decade.

During his career, Zola says he’s discovered that “there is no ‘one size fits all’ style” of leadership. “What is critical is that each individual needs to find his or her own voice and style,” he explains. “As John F. Kennedy said, ‘leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.’ A great leader understands that leadership is a process of continual learning and growth.”

–Andrew Wickenden ’09

Leyla Lopez ’79 retired police officer, New York City Police Department teacher, citizenship and English as a second language Few experience discrimination, marginalization and the challenges of working in law enforcement simultaneously.

Leyla Lopez ’79, an NYPD officer for 20 years, did. To hear her perspective, we asked her:

As a former police officer and woman of color, what do you think is overlooked in conversations about policing?

“Cops are people. You have hard days. It’s hot. The elevator’s not working and you have to walk up six flights and you get up there and

you’re the enemy. Those situations can be pretty challenging. You have to think of all these ‘what if’ scenarios to come out in one piece.

The general population forgets that we are people. We have bad days. You should never

get hooked in an argument. And it’s on those bad days that cops get hooked.

Social media makes it difficult for people to receive all the information they really need, so rushing to judgement comes naturally. The general public doesn’t have the same training as we do, so we often think differently. The NYPD offers a Citizens Police Academy, which is designed to help bridge that gap between officers and the public, and provide insight as to how officers are trained on the law and human behavior. In general, you have to look at the entire picture to make an informed decision.

There are a lot of dynamics that make the work what it is. We’re human too. We’ve got aches and pains.”

THE CALL TO SERVE

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n her 20 years as an officer with the New York Police Department, Leyla Lopez ’79 ended each day with wellness checks on those she had met during her shift. Did they change their locks? Were their kids all right? “I did this on my own,” says Lopez, who joined the force amid the skyrocketing crime rates of the 1980s. “Cops are like social workers out on the street.”

Understanding people and what makes them tick is, admittedly, an enduring passion for Lopez. At Hobart and William Smith, she majored in sociology— a discipline she “put to work” as an officer. “We don’t see people at their best. We see them when they’re downtrodden, in pain, when they’re hurt, when someone is in a car accident and we’re knocking on doors to tell someone a family member has passed,” explains Lopez, who retired in 2006 but keeps the calls fresh in her mind.

“All of the things you learn about in books, you may experience it in a situation on a job. You learn about why things are happening and don’t have to jump to conclusions, understanding that sometimes people are in a bad situation through no fault of their own.”

For Lopez, those experiences were the training ground for her greatest asset in the field: ‘the gift of gab.’ “I can talk my way out of a lot of things. I was never in a situation where force had to be used,” says Lopez, who

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found patrolling to be particularly challenging as a woman of color. “Some people may insult you, your family. They taunted me by saying I was wearing a ‘man’s uniform.’ Being able to talk to people and bring them to a level of compliance is the hardest thing.”

Lopez didn’t grow up wanting to wear the badge; she played cops and robbers with the other kids, but took a Midtown corporate desk job after graduating from William Smith.

After two years of 14-hour days stuck inside, she craved a change and applied to the police academy. “I thought, ‘If I don’t like it, I can always come back. I’ll just try it.’ I kept trying it for 20 years,” says Lopez, who retired upon earning eligibility. “It was very satisfying and humbling. You get to meet all kinds of people from all walks of life who you otherwise wouldn’t.”

In retirement, Lopez has taken a different approach to public service as a teacher for courses in citizenship and English as a second language. Here, Lopez feels a kinship as a Latina woman who has embraced her heritage while navigating predominately white spaces.

“The students I teach are very hard workers.

They want to invest in their own education. We talk about what makes the U.S. different from the nations they come from, and I make the material relevant to their lives,” says Lopez, who served as vice president of what is now the Latin American Organization during her time at HWS.

For Lopez, who will celebrate her 40th Reunion with the Classes of 1979 next June, her time at the Colleges marked the beginning of vast change. It was the first time she was away from home, the first time she was in coeducational classes that would require her to exercise agency in a new way.

“I felt intimidated, but it prepared me for the police academy,” says Lopez, who still ends her day with the books she loved from her literature courses at the Colleges. “You can learn something every single day.”

–Morgan Gilbard ’15

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“You have to think of all these ‘what if’ scenarios to come out in one piece.”

PHOTO BY MICHAEL PARAS

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Ridgway H. White ’02 Four years after the Flint water crisis began, Ridgway H. White ’02 is still helping his hometown rebuild as the president of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. The city, like many, is striving to define itself beyond its most famous tragedy, making White the best person to ask:

What do you wish more people knew about Flint, Michigan, today?

“It’s an interesting phenomenon, a onecompany town. We

were the Silicon Valley of the turn of the 20th century, with a tremendous growth story as the birthplace of GM. When that main employer leaves though, you have to almost rebuild that ecosystem, retool opportunities to suit a population that’s been left by society and make sure the resources left by a legacy institution like GM are available to the people here. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but Flint is a community anchored by its citizens and non-profits and educational institutions. It’s a place where people can make a difference.

One thing we focus on at the Mott Foundation is connecting people to their

PHOTO BY DANEN WILLIAMS

president Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

White meets students at Cummings Elementary School in Flint, Mich.

communities, to see them come together in new, innovative and meaningful ways. When I started working at the Mott Foundation as a program assistant focused on revitalizing Flint, about 80 percent of the storefronts were boarded up. There were zero people downtown, zero people on the streets after 5 p.m. and on the weekend. Now, there are more than 1,000 people living downtown. We’ve enabled more than 50 businesses to come downtown, and the majority of our buildings are occupied.

The macroeconomic headwinds facing Flint over the past decades have been challenging.

There’s a large section of the population that struggles daily, and when a crisis hits, that’s the population that struggles the most. Our biggest challenge in Flint is trying to ensure that all people in the community can take advantage of the great opportunities here, which is why we’re chasing small companies and sparks of ideas that can lead to employment over a long period of time.

There’s a rich history of entrepreneurship here that’s amazing for a town of this size, and between the University of Michigan-Flint, the Mott Foundation and other institutions, we have a background infrastructure to provide opportunities for a community well above the size of the 100,000 people living here.

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Coming out of the water crisis, we’ve focused on trying to provide support to the most atrisk populations in Flint and connect them to institutions and non-profits that empower them to engage and create change. We’re building a cradle-to-career education continuum that connects children and families with high-quality education opportunities from early childhood all the way through schooling and into their careers.

In my opinion, we won’t be able to say the Mott Foundation has been truly successful until we can demonstrate from a statistical standpoint that children born in Flint are just as likely to succeed as those born elsewhere in our state or country. When the government and private sector fail, the non-profit and independent sector has to be there — and we are.”

THE GAME CHANGER

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hen one’s basic human needs are not met, it’s hard to function.

When an entire community is poisoned and can’t drink or use the water for over 1,000 days, its criminal. And when this occurs in your own hometown, it’s devastating,” says Ridgway H. White ’02.

White is referring to the Flint water crisis,

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Janet Gold Bass ’78 research and development chemist

In her 40-year career with companies like Proctor and Gamble and Conair, chemist Janet Gold Bass ’78 led and oversaw the creation of hundreds of products that we use every day, leading us to ask:

How do you solve a problem with chemistry “I know oil and water are not supposed to mix, but I’ve spent my whole career working against that truth. We take raw

materials from plants like oils that have the right structure, turn them into surfactants, which are chemicals that “like” water (sulfates, phosphates, sulfonates and things nobody can pronounce). These structures can wrap

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PHOTO BY RICK SMITH

which occurred when a state-appointed up to $100 million over the course of five emergency manager made the decision to years. Supporting work in six areas — safe switch the city of Flint from using Detroit’s drinking water, health care, early education, water system to drawing water from the Flint nonprofits, community engagement and River. Failure to treat the river water properly economic development — the initiative’s caused lead to leach from pipes and into the end goal is to rebuild the community with “a community’s water supply. major focus on children and families.”

As president of the Flint “There are about 10,000 based Charles Stewart Mott households still relying on Foundation, White has rallied bottled water because there’s local, state and national still a lack of trust in the foundations to help the system. State health officials community recover and rise recommend drinking only from the water crisis, which filtered water, but State testing he calls his “most important suggests that the water quality challenge to date.” has returned to pre-crisis Leading one of the levels,” White says.

“Flint is a nation’s premier philanthropic

In the meantime, the Mott institutions, White oversees community Foundation and other public operations as the foundation and private partners continue anchored by leverages its $3 billion recovery efforts, including the its citizens and endowment to propel 2017 launch of Educare Flint, a non-profits and national and international state-of-the-art early childhood projects that support civil educational school designed to “create a society, education and the network that goes beyond the institutions. It’s environment, as well as walls of the school, to elevate a place where initiatives focused in the the impact of that education people can make a Flint area. by involving parents and Historically, the difference.” grandparents,” White says. foundation has invested

As the recovery resources in lifting up the continues, he is focused on Flint community, but in the these kinds of ripple effects aftermath of the 2014 discovery of lead-tainted that result from bringing citizens and public water, the Mott Foundation redoubled resources together, “whether we’re working its local presence under White’s leadership. in South Africa so people can truly interact “When the elevated lead levels in Flint and have a voice in their society, or on were discovered, I was in my office and said economic development and building an I have to do something, so I decided to call entrepreneurial ecosystem here in Flint.” the governor,” says White, who joined Mott in –Andrew Wickenden ’09 2004 and was named president in 2015. “But I didn’t know the governor, so I had to figure it out the old-fashioned way. I Googled Governor Snyder’s number, and after talking to about 10 people, I had him on the phone. I said, ‘Number one: people are really fearful, and number two: scientists say the problem will correct if the water is properly treated.’”

That conversation led to an initial $4 million commitment, which helped the city switch back to the Detroit water system two weeks later.

From there, White and the foundation brought together 10 major foundations that committed a total of up to $125 million to help Flint recover and rise from the water crisis.

Mott led the way in that pledge, committing

around an oil entity and hide it from the water.

My favorite research project back in the ‘90s yielded a product that could prevent skin from getting irritation from poison ivy and deliver an SPF. It was a particularly challenging goal because of the intricacies in creating a cream that sticks to the skin to endure the rigors of gardening in the sun. After we developed a stable formula and tested performance, there were funding issues that prevented the company from getting it to market, but the development challenges were rewarding.

We created an emulsion— a cream with oil and water, despite their natural properties − that had a positive charge to allow the cream to form a thin film on the skin. We worked with a clinical lab that had to grow poison ivy in the fall and winter, so we could conduct performance testing to prove that this emulsion created a barrier strong enough to prevent the oils in poison ivy from irritating your skin. It was a particularly unique development, as most creams don’t have a charge, and it is a challenge to deliver a sun protection factor as well.

There are a lot of chemical limitations to overcome in the products that we use every day.

Many times we put things together that aren’t compatible, so you have to make the product stable for as long as a consumer needs it, and make sure it doesn’t change performance over time. It is hard to make oil live in water happily ever after.”

THE CHEMIST BEHIND THE CURTAIN

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esearch and development chemist Janet Gold Bass ’78 has spent nearly 40 years developing products for companies like Proctor and Gamble, Elizabeth Arden, Avon, Clairol and Conair — taking products from the concept-drawing board to the lab, manufacturing and into homes across the globe. She has worked on many global brands including Pantene, Herbal Essences, Oil of Olay, Clearasil and others. Recently retired from her role as the senior director of research and development at Conair, she oversaw the creation of 100+ products each year, a team of five chemists, and details on raw material identification, stability and performance testing to maintaining quality in manufacturing.

If it sounds like a lot, it is—just not for Bass.

“It’s a lot of fun. There’s always something new, there are always old problems that come back to haunt you,” says Bass, who majored in

chemistry at HWS. “While experimenting, you learn so much, and you apply those learnings to your next development. When you develop products solving their issues, it is rewarding to see products hit the market, and be able to walk into a store and say, ‘I made that.’”

Bass kick-started her career developing fragrances shortly after graduating from William Smith. She later worked on the team that created the technology for perms in the 1980s, joined the Society for Cosmetic Chemists, and began developing formulas for personal care companies leading sales figures across many different markets.

“Finding new ways to solve problems is what we have been doing for thousands of years,” says Bass, who is intrigued by the earliest stories of chemistry—notably, that of Cleopatra and her alchemists, who began experimenting with the first known cold creams and face oils in approximately 52 B.C.

“When I’m stuck on a problem, I talk it out with other people and go back to the basics. In the lab, you don’t always know how things are going to work out. Experimentation is key to multifaceted problem solving.”

At HWS, chemistry was not an easy choice for Bass, who was challenged by the discipline early on. Her professors coached her to “go with your strength” and she loved lab work.

Her roles as the Resident Advisor in Miller and Head Resident in Emerson Hall taught her how to manage teams — foundational lessons that remained with her while simultaneously coordinating dozens of projects, managing multiple marketing groups and solving manufacturing issues.

For Bass, the ongoing shift in how consumers measure the safety in their products, a growing distrust in companies and the misconception that “all natural” or “chemical-free” is inherently better only points to a lack of understanding of chemistry. It’s impossible, she jokes, to create a chemicalfree shampoo since water itself is a chemical compound.

“Chemistry is often misunderstood.

Everything is a chemical. The desk you’re sitting at is a collection of chemical compounds. The wood, the leaves, the paper, the pen—all are chemical compounds. The cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries purify and synthesize chemicals to be safe and effective for consumer use. After all, if a product hurts your customer—chances of resale and brand success are terrible!”

–Morgan Gilbard ’15 46 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

Gloria Robinson Lowry ’52

retired elementary school teacher Pasadena, Calif.

In the 66 years since her graduation, Gloria Robinson Lowry ’52 has watched the world transform. The first African American woman to graduate from William Smith, Lowry spent decades creating inclusive environments as a fifth grade teacher. We turned to Lowry to ask:

What was the greatest challenge you faced as a teacher?

“The world has changed significantly over the years, but the basic education system hasn’t changed much at all. My classes

were made up of children of cultures from all over the world, and I embraced that. When you have an education system that is trying to teach children from 20 different countries, it’s really a challenge, and I frequently asked myself ‘what can we do?’ when it comes to helping these children thrive and connect with each other. We

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Lowry’s legacy remains on campus with an award named in her honor that annually recognizes a William Smith student of color who has demonstrated a commitment to justice and inclusivity.

PHOTO BY VAN URFALIAN

made cookbooks that included dishes from the places our families were from. What was striking for children in elementary school is how many things throughout the world were similar, but affixed under a different name. They could look at the person next to them and say, ‘We really have more in common than we thought.’

THE VISIONARY

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n a career spanning from the civil rights movement to a new millennium, Gloria Robinson Lowry ’52 is a trailblazer in her own right. The retired teacher was the first African American woman to graduate from William Smith College, earning her degree in 1952 with a degree in economics and as president of her class.

“I was a bit hesitant that I would be the only African American girl there, but I had a wonderful English teacher in high school who was familiar

with the Colleges. She said, ‘Oh, Gloria, I do think you need to go to William Smith.’ My parents and I were convinced,” says Lowry, who devoted most of her time at HWS to academics, but cherishes reflections of afternoons with her friends by the lake and the first blooms after a Geneva winter. “I have only fond memories of what was a wonderful part of my life.”

Lowry’s legacy remains on campus with an award named in her honor that annually recognizes a William Smith student of color who has demonstrated a commitment to justice and inclusivity. In many ways, Lowry’s impact harkens back to the profound influence her own mother had on the next generation.

“My mother’s main thrust in life was trying to make African American women understand that they could be anything and do anything, and whatever resources were out there, they needed to know how to use them,” says Lowry, who found education at the center of her life early

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on. “She made sure my brothers and I grew up to understand that there wasn’t anything that we could not do, and that’s what we went for. She was quite something to follow.”

Lowry would carve her own path in Pasadena, Calif., where she spent decades putting her teaching salary toward empowering the children in her own life. As the world shifted around Lowry and her classroom, she moved forward at full-speed, traveling to dozens of countries in six continents with her husband John. “There aren’t too many places in the world we didn’t touch,” says Lowry, who would bring her students stories of other cultures, her adventures and remnants of her journeys.

Egyptian scrolls and parchments were particular favorites for her fifth graders.

“I retired in 2000, but I still think about those kids every day,” she says. “It really was what I was meant to do.” –Morgan Gilbard ’15

Oliver Meeker ’09 blockchain business development professional IBM

“Blockchain” entered the popular lexicon last fall when cryptocurrency Bitcoin skyrocketed in value and sent investors scrambling to capitalize. Oliver Meeker ’09, a blockchain specialist at IBM, was ahead of the curve. We turned to him to ask:

How does blockchain actually work?

“The notion of cryptography and big data analytics isn’t new, but what’s so exciting and breakthrough about blockchain is that it allows for sharing data in

a permissioned, distributed and immutable manner through some pretty nifty consensus algorithms. Bitcoin was the first application of blockchain, but any multiparty transaction with lots of paperwork and not much trust among the participants is a great use of it — finance, insurance, manufacturing, logistics, real estate, government. Essentially, it’s a decentralized ledger — meaning multiple copies of the ledger exist in a given blockchain network. It’s highly secure because it’s all encrypted, and highly

transparent because everything is time-stamped and all parties involved have to agree on a set of terms before it becomes valid, achieving consensus.

One thing IBM has been focused on is empathy for the user — who’s using the technology and how? Cryptocurrency is very cool, but there are lots of applications for blockchain technology to weed out redundancy, bad actors and inefficiency. I was involved in the early days of the IBM Food Trust solution, figuring out a use case around food safety by leveraging blockchain.

Food safety is a huge issue — one in 10 people get sick from food borne illnesses each year, about 420,000 people die. There are lots of serious problems, and a lot of current tech approaches haven’t been adequate.

Say Walmart buys mangos from the same supplier as Kroger. The two retailers won’t want to share price information, but if there’s a foodborne illness outbreak, it’s important that they can share other information and triangulate quickly the source of contamination. This is where blockchain technology comes in. There are non-permission blockchains, such as Bitcoin where anyone can look at the ledger, and permissioned blockchains, where you need a key to gain access. That’s how a supplier can share some data specific to each retailer — about pricing for instance — and more general shared data with both retailers, such as location of the food outbreak.

We set out to do a small pilot project, looking at one mango supplier outside of the U.S. We were able to reduce the time it took to track a shipment of mangos from over six days to 2.2 seconds and collect a lot more valuable information — all because the participants were sending pertinent data to the blockchain solution we built. Blockchain is not a cure-all, but there are a lot of things it will solve for.”

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PHOTO BY KEVIN COLTON

TECH’S FAVORITE TRANSLATOR

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hen Oliver Meeker ’09 joined IBM in 2014, he was initially building partnerships with organizations around the Watson AI platform, an innovative question-answering platform with broad applications for healthcare, publishing, pharmaceuticals, weather predications, accounting and more. For Meeker, who was on the client-facing side of the Watson venture, “wheeling and dealing” for about two years, that position “was a lot of fun,” but the “excitement and interest and unknown quantities drove me to blockchain — it’s the frontier of new technology,” he says.

Meeker has been driven by that desire to “understand something new and challenging” since he was a student at HWS. One of the liberal arts graduates profiled in a new book by journalist George Anders, You Can Do Anything: The Surprising Power of a ‘Useless’ Liberal Arts Education, Meeker explains that his experiences at HWS “really pushed me to grow. You were pushed to argue and think about problems from multiple perspectives.”

For Anders, Meeker is “a Phi Beta Kappa intellect with a disarming laugh and upbeat personality,” a “bridge builder” that companies like IBM need for “ambitious projects.”

Early in his academic career at HWS, Meeker was planning “to do the lawyer thing”

“Blockchain is not a cure-all, but there are a lot of things it will solve for.”

Aracelis Gray ’95

principal and senior manager ICF When power players don’t know what to do, they turn to consultants like Aracelis Gray ’95, who specializes in advising organizations on issues related to vulnerable children, youth and families. Gray has been developing solutions behind the scenes for more than 15 years, leading us to wonder:

– Andrew Wickenden ’09

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PHOTO BY STEPHEN BARRETT

In your work consulting with school districts and education initiatives across the country, what are the most significant challenges?

“What I do is often defined by questions and finding answers, but

one is consistently on the table: how do we begin to address the social, economic and emotional issues that students are confronted with on a day-to-day basis? These are multisystemic problems that can’t be addressed by just one agency. That is a big question in education, and there is an effort to look at education in a more holistic way. The reality is that school districts don’t have the resources to address students’ emotional learning needs.

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until he met Professor Emeritus of Sociology James L. Spates P’00, P’09, who said, “‘You ought to consider taking my Soc 101 class — it’ll change your life,’ which it did,” Meeker recalls, because it led him on a path to study abroad in Vietnam; to complete an Honors project, “One Viêt Nam — Post War Memories and Future Aspirations,” under the guidance of Professor of Anthropology and Sociology Jack Harris P’02, P’06; and later to return to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on a Fulbright research grant.

The Fulbright experience opened the door to a job with the Vietnam Investments Group, where Meeker worked with international investors and eventually helped broker a deal that brought Dairy Queen franchise to the country; today there are more than 20 Dairy Queens operating and growing in number. Meeker, who majored in sociology and is fluent in Vietnamese, is certain that the depth and breadth of his work in Vietnam — successfully negotiating with investors from around the world while adapting to living abroad, understanding the significance of “historical context and cultural cues” in the framework of a client’s business needs — gave him a leg up when he interviewed with IBM.

Now, as a blockchain sales professional at IBM, Meeker is working with clients to explore the range of applications and scalability of this new technology, a role that involves “more analysis and strategic thinking and is pushing me into a new skillset,” he says.

Like arriving in Vietnam, “being out of your comfort zone, dealing in ambiguous situations and managing with what you’ve got, you’re forced to frame things in many different ways,” Meeker says.

But of course, that’s part of the fun.

“There isn’t an

In her 10 years at one of the They have to work with students average day, world’s most influential firms, to make a difference all while we and that’s where Gray has positioned herself have all these issues with school the beauty lies. as a key-player in efforts safety, which is having this sort of to tackle vital issues facing Every day is spiraling effect on schools and entire education across the United filled with new communities.

States. Specializing in policies

Our clients are struggling with and interesting and programs designed to aid where to begin the conversation challenges putting at-risk students, Gray tackles within the systems through which everything from foster care out fires.” they are operating — whether it’s and improving graduation a question of policy, politics or rates to college readiness and more often both. I think once you upward mobility post-grad. start peeling back the layers at the

“What I find most rewarding is helping federal level, the policy may happen there, but people think through problems and providing how does the policy play out on the ground? When them with a different way to examine issues doing research, certainly I like getting answers to connect the dots,” says Gray, who sees to questions, but what is interesting to me is the ability to evaluate situations objectively is understanding the work in practice — not so much key to developing effective courses of action. the quantitative data, but rather looking at what the “Some of our clients are siloed in many ways, so recognizing opportunities for growth and implementation looks like. What are the real-world a need for support is sometimes challenging implications of programs and how can we adapt to for organizations when they aren’t constantly fill in the gaps not measured by data? evaluating their impact.”

A few years ago, I evaluated a mentoring

Originally from the Bronx, Gray stepped program for young people impacted by parental onto the Capitol Hill consulting scene shortly incarceration. We set out to find how effective after earning her master’s in public policy from mentoring is as an approach in supporting a child University of Michigan just two years after who has a parent incarcerated. How does it help graduating from William Smith. The work was a child feel connected to a working adult, do well only natural for someone who asks a lot of in school and avoid cyclical patterns? That project questions in a town like D.C., where “you either was particularly rewarding because I actually could work for the government or you support the see those young people; I could talk to them and government.” Her earliest roles at consulting do focus groups with them, their mentors and firms like James Bell Associates and The Finance families. I was able to see that work in action.

Project positioned her to acquire research

While I enjoy all the aspects and challenges of experience on the ground to develop financial my work, what I enjoy the most is when I’m doing solutions to problems impacting marginalized something tangible and making a difference that I children, families and neighborhoods. At ICF, she can see. That is why when I am doing research, I now leads her own projects. am more excited by the implementation of those

Gray had her first inside look at efforts and seeing how things work, for whom, policymaking during an HWS semester program where and in what conditions.” in Washington. An English major for whom “William Smith always felt like home,” Gray often found herself chatting with Professor of Public Policy Craig Rimmerman and other IN PURSUIT OF RESULTS instructors during office hours, diving into Aracelis Gray ’95 doesn’t take information at face questions and theory that branched beyond value; curious by nature and by the demands of what was required. her work as a principal consultant and senior

“I had great professors who were open to manager at ICF, Gray searches for answers in having conversations with me about different quests that span far beyond a single data set topics and issues, which was something I or field study. “I’ve always been inquisitive and craved,” says Gray, who lives outside D.C. now that’s very much the consulting frame of mind,” with her husband Anthony Gray ’94 and their Gray says from her office in ICF’s headquarters in daughter Mackenzie, age 10. “My curiosity was Fairfax, Va. “There isn’t an average day, and that’s welcomed and I’m better for it. I loved the where the beauty lies. Every day is filled with new Colleges from the very beginning. I still do.” and interesting challenges putting out fires.”

–Morgan Gilbard ’15 50 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

Christopher Legaspi ’12 menswear editor Vanity Fair As life imitates art, the culture of men’s fashion is continually shaped by Christopher Legaspi ’12. The Vanity Fair menswear editor is crafting the visual narrative of what it means to be a modern man for millions around the world, making him the best person to ask:

What was your go-to outfit during college — and what would you change today?

“To be truly honest with you, I’m so embarrassed to even reflect on my sense of style back in college. My go-to

outfit during college was a pair of perfectly broken-in Sperrys (which I just lost and am in need of replacing), khaki pants from J. Crew, a plaid button down shirt or t-shirt with some kind of writing or logo, with an oversized Barbour jacket or the season’s newest printed Patagonia Synchilla Snap-T Pullover. I very rarely strayed from that and it was easy and comfortable and I could wear it to class, to dinner, and to the

bars downtown. Opportunities were endless.

Simple as that.

Looking back at it now, I would have told myself that fit is everything and so are neutral colors (i.e. black, white, tan, navy, camel, etc.). I would get rid of those plaid button down shirts and oversized Barbour and get some plain oxfords and a new fitted Barbour.

The oversize probably did not keep me as warm as it should have in the long winter months upstate. Also…Sperrys in winter?!

Get some black and/or brown lace up dress boots and wear them to class, meetings, dinner, bars, etc.

I think I just fell into the preppy look hard and it took me a while to acclimate my closet after moving to New York City and working in the fashion industry. I’ve still got a few plaid shirts hanging in the back of my closet behind all my navy, black, white and gray.”

THE EDITOR IN STYLE

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or Christopher Legaspi ’12, fashion was always on his radar but he “had no real experience or background in it going into college.”

An internship at Details Magazine during the summer of 2011 was the in he needed to turn that passion into a career. After graduation, Legaspi, a media and society major at HWS, joined Details as a fashion assistant, before joining GQ magazine, and later Vanity Fair, where he served as associate menswear editor for two years before rising to the role of editor.

Working with politicians, actors and other high profile talent means his schedule is unpredictable and “my day-to-day varies a lot and can change at the drop of a dime. No workday, photo shoot or article is ever the same,” Legaspi says.

Guided by the magazine’s creative director, Legaspi takes photo shoots from concept to the

51 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Fall 2018

page — “meaning whenever we have any male talent on the cover or inside the magazine, I do all the market for the photo shoot,” he explains.

“I also work on the men’s market pages, which are our shoppable pages that are based on the biggest trends of the season.”

Things can get complicated “when we have multiple male talents for a cover shoot and all of them vary in sizing,” says Legaspi. “Not only do I have to get specific sizes from all designers, but sometimes the concept for the shoots are not as easy as just suiting. At Vanity Fair we love black tie (tuxedos) and white tie (tailcoats) and that can be very challenging to get sizes, and not everyone makes white tie tailcoats.”

But between the creativity it takes to make a photo shoot successful and the excitement of looming deadlines, Legaspi relishes being “able to create such amazing stories through fashion and surprisingly learn so much about culture, history and everything in between.” –Andrew Wickenden ’09

Ask Alums Anything

Legaspi relishes being “able to create such amazing stories through fashion and surprisingly learn so much about culture, history and everything in between.”

Ednesha Saulsbury ’00 psychotherapist BeHER and Fedcap Behavioral Health Services

In the ongoing struggle to eliminate the stigma about mental health, therapist Ednesha Saulsbury ’00 has dedicated her career to forging new ground and providing support to communities of color. We turned to her to ask:

What’s the most pervasive obstacle your patients have to overcome?

“My clients have a hard time trusting others.

At both my practices, they have difficulty understanding vulnerability and allowing themselves to be vulnerable, both with themselves and with other people. Vulnerability is seen as a sign of weakness in our culture, and when you have to open yourself up completely it can be really scary. I find that my clients often aren’t in touch with their own emotions enough to do it.

In therapy, I give them a safe space.

Their relationship with me is so different from any they’ve ever had, which helps them open up. At that point, you can start to get to the root of where the anxiety or depression is coming from. When you deal with symptoms, symptoms come back, so I’m not looking at symptoms per se, but where all this started — where did you learn these behaviors?

Because when you get to the root, you can understand your behavior a bit better and start to deal with it.

Sometimes it’s incremental and takes a while, and sometimes people are surprised they open up so immediately. But my clients know they can come to me with no judgments. Every week I’m there to help them interpret their thoughts and feelings, and their relationship with me acts as a model for relationships they can have in the world.”

THE CHAMPION ON-CALL

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has in the African American community — a shame that’s attached to it. I wanted to help people who look like me.”

After earning her master’s in social work, she worked with students at New Design, a public middle school in Harlem before joining Fedcap Behavioral Health Services in the Bronx.

“I enjoyed working with children but wanted to work with adults as well,” she says. In the South Bronx, one of the poorest counties in the country, much of Saulsbury’s work involves case management and issues around homelessness, “people who need not just therapy but also help with resources to get housing, SNAP benefits, child placement, vocational training. You have a population with no voice so there’s a lot of advocating for them and their needs, and teaching them how to advocate for themselves.”

Meanwhile, she joined BeHER, an innovative group therapy practice in New York that specializes in modern approaches to empowering female clientele, where she works primarily with women of color.

“Most of my clients are working professionals who have master’s degrees, so the needs are very different than at Fedcap,” she notes, though the underlying purpose remains the same: “to provide a safe space for people to discuss what they need to discuss.

That’s what therapy’s about. Safe space and consistency. So I’ll be there, waiting in my office to listen.” –Andrew Wickenden ’09

dnesha Saulsbury ’00 graduated from William Smith with a degree in sociology, conducted research on sexuality and reproductive health for the Guttmacher Institute, and studied at Temple University’s graduate program in sports and recreation administration. She had a sales job, working with gyms and health clubs, when she asked herself what it was she loved about that job.

The answer, as it had been for every job she’d had, was “...You have a getting to know people. population with no

“I knew I was capable of building a rapport, I knew voice so there’s a I was good at listening, I lot of advocating for knew what I loved about my them and their needs, previous jobs was talking to and teaching them people,” she says. That — and her growing need to help how to advocate for others — prompted her to themselves.” return to graduate school at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work.

Saulsbury, whose brother suffers from mental illness, says she saw “the stigma that mental health and illness

52 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

PHOTO BY KEVIN COLTON

Ask Alums Anything 53 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Fall 2018

“It’s living with the details and walking on the high wire to bring stories to life, that’s kind of what I live for.”

PHOTO:GETTYIMAGES/GREGG DEGUIRE

54 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

executive producer of The Handmaid’s Tale and Fargo, former president of NBC

With more than 168 Emmys won under his NBC stewardship, producer Warren Littlefield ’74 is doing it again with his hit drama The Handmaid’s Tale and took time to chat with students in “Reading Feminisms,” a course taught by Professor of Women’s Studies Betty Bayer. In the spirit of curiosity, we share HWS students' top three questions here.

While at NBC, you developed beloved programs like Seinfeld, Will & Grace and Friends – How did you go from creating sitcoms to producing the dystopian series The Handmaid’s Tale?

It was my idea six years ago to develop Fargo; to take a feature film and develop it for television. Almost everyone I talked to

thought that was a really bad idea, but I thought that executive producer and showrunner Noah Hawley would know what to do with that property. And it turns out we were right. And so we won a lot of awards, and we’ve made three seasons of Fargo, and that all helped when I got a call from my agent at WME – who said, do you know that your friends at MGM Studios are doing Handmaid’s Tale? So I

60 platforms offering original scripted content.

It’s incredible! There are 500 new series a year, so I just keep searching for things that separate themselves from what’s already out there. Then you have a chance at doing something that’s original. And if you do it right then maybe it will resonate with your audience.”

How do you create something that resonates with people and keeps them watching?

THE HIT-MAKER

“Well I guess that’s our job right? We have to really really focus on the details of this world in order to make it feel real. The world of Gilead, where The Handmaid’s Tale takes place, is an alternative reality. It takes place in the same time as we are, but they don’t use cellphones and only commanders have computers. We created an entire rule book on how to consistently present the world to our audience so that it feels as real as possible. And for me, the challenges of doing something like this is what excites me. I’m not interested in doing straight ahead procedural drama, there’s plenty of people in the world that can do that stuff and they do it really well. I’d rather find my way into things that have a higher degree of difficulty, and therefore, for me personally, are more satisfying. So the experience of doing a Fargo, and the experience of doing Handmaid’s Tale, for me, it’s living with the details and walking on the high wire to bring stories to life, that’s kind of what I live for.”

In one of your interviews you said that you like to work on things that “stick” in some way; do you have good instincts for that?

“When I’m evaluating material, I use a process that I also used during my NBC days, where I imagine a scalpel cutting right down through my mid-section and opening me up. I want to feel as exposed as I possibly can. I’ll ask, ‘What am I feeling? What do I feel about this content? Am I pulled closer to it or am I pushed away from it? Am I bored, am I compelled?’ And that visceral response to content has worked for me and I continue to use that tool.

I’m at a point where lots of people want me to do lots of different things, and I’m trying to find projects that, for me, don’t exist in the television landscape.

We’re in an age where there’s never been more high quality content than there is now; there’s over 55 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Fall 2018

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ust weeks before the highly-anticipated second season of The Handmaid’s Tale premiered on Hulu, students in Professor of Women’s Studies Betty Bayer “Reading Feminisms” course sat down to watch the trailer in the Rosensweig Learning Commons of the Warren Hunting Smith Library. Through screen share, and from the Toronto set where the series is filmed, the class was joined by executive producer Warren Littlefield ’74. “I’ve probably seen this a dozen times,” Littlefield said to the room before pressing play, “And it still gives me the chills.” Six minutes later and the entire class was in agreement and on the edge of their seats. Having spent an entire semester studying why The Handmaid’s Tale, originally published in 1985, still matters today, Bayer “Skyped” the alumnus in to learn more about his role bringing the dystopian fiction to life.

Littlefield won eight Emmys for the series last year, marking the first time that a series broadcast on a streaming platform won an Emmy for “Outstanding Series.” But that was just the latest in a career of breakout hits for Littlefield, who as president of NBC from 1991 to 1998 was responsible for developing “Must See TV” shows that defined a decade, including Will & Grace, Seinfeld, Friends, Cheers and ER.

His tenure garnered 168 Emmy awards and numerous other industry honors for NBC while he oversaw the development and production of NBC’s prime time, late night and Saturdaymorning entertainment programming. During his last three seasons with the network, NBC sold an industry record $6.5 billion in prime-time advertising — $2 billion more than its closest competitor.

A native of Montclair, N.J., Littlefield began his career in 1979 at Westfall Productions in New York City, where he developed and produced prime-time specials and movies. He attended the School of Government and Public Administration at American University in Washington, D.C., before earning a degree in psychology at Hobart.

–Natalia St. Lawrence ’16

Ask Alums Anything

Warren Littlefield ’74

sat down and almost in one sitting read Margaret Atwood’s book. And of course I was completely captivated with her vision. While it was fiction, the entire world that she had created was based on historical fact. I called my agent and said I’d be very very interested in this. It’s exceptional and I have my own development. It just feels particularly powerful and the time is right.”

Susan Stuart-Elliott ’89 head lacrosse coach Colorado College

The adrenaline of reaching goals with her Heron teammates set a path in motion for Susan Stuart-Elliott ’89, now the head lacrosse coach at Colorado College, where she passes down her favorite lessons and shares new ones with her players. We ask the lifelong Heron:

How have you evolved as a coach?

“When I was playing soccer at William Smith, Head Coach Aliceann Wilber P’12 once said to me, ‘You

need to become a student of the game.’ She always had the best lines.

Her point was, I wasn’t making smart decisions. I needed to study what was going on around me. I wasn’t a good soccer player, but that helped me as a lacrosse player, and I never forgot that. I’m always trying to learn, watching other sports to see how to translate what works.

If you don’t adapt, you’re not doing a good job as a coach. You should always be evolving your own philosophy, looking at what other people are doing, trying different things to get out of the

“I find myself telling the players, ‘Get outside of yourself. The world is bigger than us.’” box. Our game changes every other year.

In the age we live in, with everything right there on your phone, we become pretty insular, and I find myself telling the players, ‘Get outside of yourself. The world is bigger than us.’ We’re trying to find the strength of the team by everyone doing their job. The power of the team is what becomes unbeatable, and that translates to your worldview.

From Aliceann and former Head Coach of William Smith Lacrosse Pat Genovese P'01, P'03, P'05, P'08, I also learned that good coaching takes compassion. Anyone who has played for either of them, you knew you were loved by those coaches, no matter how many sprints they made you do. There was a sense of family, and I’ve really made that central to how we’ve built our program.”

TO RALLY A TEAM

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s Colorado College’s first and only varsity head coach, Susan StuartElliott ’89 has established the Tigers lacrosse team as a perennial contender for an NCAA Division III playoff bid and a national championship, leading the team to the round of 16 this spring.

During her 23 seasons, her teams have made nine NCAA Tournament appearances, six of them consecutive from 2002 through 2007.

Under her leadership, the Tigers also posted the biggest comeback in the tournament’s history when in 2007 they overcame a 9-0 deficit to defeat Nazareth College in triple overtime. In 56 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

addition to her coaching duties, she served as the strength and conditioning coach for the Tigers’ entire athletic department until 2012.

While earning her bachelor’s degree in English and religious studies, Stuart-Elliott became one of the top goalies in William Smith lacrosse history, finishing her career on the team with 421 saves, a .629 save percentage and a 7.29 goals against average. In her first season as a starter, she backstopped William Smith all the way to the 1988 NCAA championship game.

During her senior year, she led the Herons to the NCAA semifinals, earning a spot on the All-Tournament team on her way to first team All-America and All-State accolades.

The first William Smith player to earn a spot on the national lacrosse team, Stuart-Elliott played for Team USA from 1989 to 1995. She has remained engaged in the international sport with Team Canada, as starting goalie in the 1997 and 2001 World Cup tournaments, and as an assistant coach during the World Cup in 2005 and in 2013, when the team won the silver medal.

Stuart-Elliott came to Colorado College in 1995 after spending the previous three years as a graduate assistant coach at James Madison University, where she earned her master’s degree in kinesiology.

Since 2001, the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association has recognized Stuart-Elliott as West Region Coach of the Year six times. Among her many accolades, StuartElliott was inducted into the Heron Hall of Fame in 2007. –Andrew Wickenden ’09

rector Good Shepherd Episcopal Church Blue Grass, Va.

As the world’s challenges become more complex and divisive, religious values remain a source of solace for many trying to make sense of it all.

We turned to the Rev. Dr. Helen Beasley ’66, P’93 to ask:

What is it about faith that helps turn tolerance into action?

“All the religions in the world, at their best, are devoted to alleviating human suffering and bringing wholeness and healing to people’s

lives. Love is a beautiful idea and you read about it in books, but it really is just an idea unless it’s concretized in human reality. To really love somebody is to take action on their behalf. It’s about them and what they need, not particularly about you and what feels good to you. It’s about them and how they’re suffering and what they need to become whole.

Each of us shares the same needs for belonging in life — the same needs for love and caring and being respected and valued. That’s just what it is to be a human being. You’re always in community even when you may not feel like it.

Racism continues around the world and in this country because some of us refuse to recognize this truth, that we all exist in community together.

Similarly, we refuse to recognize it when it comes to helping someone with HIV/AIDS. Some of us simply don’t accept that we’re all of us the same at heart. Some of us just need to be different from others to feel powerful, and we need to feel powerful rather than in community because we feel powerless within ourselves.

Jesus didn’t turn his back on anyone who needed him. He healed person after person after person and freed them to be who they were as God’s creation — to be their best selves.

If you really love a person, if you really accept them as they are, it’s such a powerful experience and becomes such a lovely experience, you cannot not help them. You need to help them because you know that you share something at the core of what it is to be a human being, and you have to respond.”

THE CORE OF A COMMUNITY

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n a drive home in the late 1970s, the Rev. Dr. Helen Beasley ’66, P’93 had an encounter with God that “led me in directions I’d never have thought of before, into different kinds of ministry with different kinds of people. Jesus Christ was right there with me, and I had to pull off the road and just experience what he was giving me. I’ve never been the same.”

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Ask Alums Anything

The Rev. Dr. Helen Beasley ’66, P’93

The daughter of an Episcopal priest, Beasley was no stranger to faith or duty; her father led the charge for integration at St. John’s Church in Roanoke, Va., a struggle that yielded hate mail and “an attempt on his life.” But her father’s resolve “left an indelible mark on my spirit. I learned firsthand of the particular power of God’s love for the marginalized and how high the stakes can really be in the human search for wholeness and community.”

Though she saw her early career in journalism as a spiritual calling of sorts, Beasley eventually left her job as a reporter, married, had two daughters, and earned her spiritual director certificate and entered Union Theological Seminary, in New York City. When she graduated in 1990, her first job was directing a 240-member HIV/AIDS drop-in center in Peekskill, N.Y., under the auspices of the Episcopal church there. Serving adults and children of a range of backgrounds, Beasley designed the workspace and budget, created the program, gave pastoral care, visited and prayed for clients, and taught clients to pray for each other. For its services — and its success — the center received commendation from the Ryan White Foundation and the New York AIDS Institute.

“The presence of God in the Center was enormous,” she says. “All three of my employees were HIV positive, and all adult clients and staff of the center were addicts in recovery. The majority of the clients had been abused as children. I was extremely drawn to this ministry. It was a remarkable and deeply moving thing to be with them as they experienced HIV/AIDS and fought with such grace to live and create their own community that they clearly experienced as life-giving.”

Beasley went on to establish other HIV/AIDS programs, including support groups, fundraisers, pastoral care, advocacy, and other services in Westchester and other counties. Since her ordination in 1993, Beasley has served as a rector of three parishes and a vicar and associate rector of two others in the dioceses of New York and Southwestern Virginia, and earned her doctorate from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2013.

Now Rector of Good Shepherd Church in Blue Grass, Va., Beasley says she is constantly reminded “how committed people in the world can be toward those who happen to be caught at a particular moment in history in extraordinarily difficult human situations.”

Such committed acts of love — embodying “the best of what it means to be human,” Beasley says — are everywhere. “It takes so many different forms — God’s love,” she says. “And if you have the yearning, you’ll find it. We’re made to find it. That’s who we are.” –Andrew Wickenden ’09

Scott Keogh ’91 president Audi of America In the competitive market of luxury cars, Scott Keogh ’91 doubled sales in less than 10 years as president of Audi of America, a feat Fortune dubbed “a lesson in marketing-led transformation.” His strategy tested and defied the limits of what is possible, making us wonder:

What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received and how has it helped you adapt Audi to meet the challenges of the 21st century?

“I think a lot about what [author and speaker] Simon Sinek calls the ‘Golden Circle.’ I heard about it for

the first time at a TED Conference when he described the idea: the ‘what’ is on the outside of the circle, then the ‘how,’ and then the core of the circle is the ‘why.’

The majority of people focus on ‘what.’

What do you do? I sell cars, I sell appliances, etc.

The problem is if you’re thinking only about the ‘what,’ you’re probably not getting what you want

out of your job. The ‘whats’ in life don’t deeply or profoundly motivate you; it’s the ‘why.’

Over the last 10 years at Audi, we looked at the world and said there’s no way we shouldn’t be up there with our competitors, selling 200,000, 300,000 units; we have to figure out a way to bring this company to life and leave a mark — on society through our volunteering; on the competition in terms of sales; on our customers through our products; and on each other, the people we work with every day. It’s important that when you get out of bed and drive to work, it feels like you’re doing something special, working for a higher calling.

That’s our ‘why,’ and it’s kept us galvanized and united. The ‘why’ helps esprit de corps, passion, the speed of trust, and it also helps with the alignment of the company. With ‘what’ organizations, people start to isolate, but the world is complex — people need to get out of their silos to see how it all fits together and why. For us, the biggest thing that did was open a world of entrepreneurialism, with people taking risks, and to my mind took a hierarchical organization and made it more free.

Up until that point, it had taken us almost 40 years sell 100,000 cars per year. Then, five years later, we sold 200,000. That came with a real sense of pride, that we’d left a mark on the industry and competition, and revived a great company.

Now we’re looking at another big shift, with three big changes on the horizon: the move from internal combustion to electric, from manned to self-driving, and from individually owned to shared.

In other words, what moves the car, who drives and who owns. These are huge changes that the ‘what’ isn’t going to solve. Looking at these challenges as a ‘why’ organization — that’s what’s going to move us forward.”

DRIVEN BY AMBITION

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ony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, drives an Audi thanks to Scott Keogh ’91.

Keogh joined Audi of America as chief marketing officer in 2006, after a decade as a strategist and marketing professional with Mercedes-Benz. At Audi, he sought to distinguish the company among other luxury car brands with an emphasis on its strengths: “high tech, high design and of the times,” he explains.

This is clear in the company’s marketing produced under Keogh’s leadership, including the Audi R8 Spyder product placement in Iron Man II 58 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

and the 2011 Super-Bowl ad that was the first in history to feature a social media hashtag. Keogh led “an all-fronts marketing assault” in the bid to take the company to the top spot among luxury automobile makers, as AdWeek reported in 2011, when it named him a “Brand Genius” for his role in the Audi brand turnaround story.

Since he was named president of Audi of America in 2012, Keogh has led the luxury automaker to unprecedented levels of growth and success, increasing the company’s premium market share to 12 percent, double what it had been a decade before. “When you get into this world, there are lots of conversations about tech and business acumen,” says the Hobart comparative lit major, “but a liberal arts degree gives you a sense of how to think and see the horizons to open up, and that’s crucial.”​​

While at the helm of skyrocketing sales, Keogh has overseen Audi’s forays into new vehicle segments and crucial product launches that have significantly broadened its product line in the U.S., all while keeping his eye on the changing automotive industry. In the first quarter of 2019, Audi will launch its first electric vehicles including an SUV that will “go right to the heart of a market,” says Keogh, who is looking forward to the “jump-ball in the market place” that the trend toward electric cars is forcing.

In fact, Audi plans to make upwards of 30 percent of its vehicles electric by 2025 — “a classic ‘leave a mark’ target,” Keogh says. “Audi’s position over the past few years has been: the world is changing, and we want to lead that change. A luxury customer wants to stand out, drive a cool car, never be perceived as left behind, always be ahead. That’s exactly what we want to do.”

With emergent technologies and an industry shift from automotive companies to mobility companies, Keogh sees “great opportunities for efficiency, but more importantly dramatic opportunities to improve safety and reduce distracted driving. There are technologies that can make these things better and reduce fatalities and injuries. That’s the primary reason to focus on these techs — and another great ‘why.’”

During this “absolute rethink” for the industry, Keogh says Audi wants to do no less than “change the world with ideas that are better for safety, better for traffic and the ecosystem of the roadways, and better for the environment. It’s exciting to be a part of a company that wants to get after it and change things, and knowing that we’ve had success and are rowing in the right direction gives me energy.” –Andrew Wickenden ’09

Ask Alums Anything

“Looking at these challenges as a ‘why’ organization — that’s what’s going to move us forward.”

59 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Fall 2018

HWS

COMMUNITY fanfare • honors • awards • celebrations

Hobart Medal of Excellence

Michael J. Hanna ’68, P’99

Eugen Baer P’95, P’97

“I want our student-athletes to be able to look back on their four years here proudly and be able to look forward to whatever is next and feel like they’re ready,” said Michael J. Hanna ’68, P’99 who the Hobart College Alumni Association honored with the Medal of Excellence on Feb. 9. Hanna retired in December after spending 37 years as the director of athletics at his alma mater.

The longest serving athletic director in Hobart history, Hanna made a considerable and lasting impact on the lives of generations of Statesmen. The founder in 1995 of the Napier Student-Athlete Leadership Seminar, his leadership impacted all aspects of Hobart Athletics, raising Statesmen performance levels in the athletic arena, in the classroom and in the community.

Academically, Hobart scholar-athletes are performing at the highest level. During the 2016-17 academic year, the average Hobart athlete had a 3.03 grade point average with eight of the school’s 11 sports boasting a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. Seventeen of the College’s 18 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans® were in the Hanna era.

In competition, Hobart teams have won 13 national championships during Hanna’s tenure, 11 in lacrosse and two in sailing. From 1995 to 2017, the Statesmen captured 50 conference championships, including 12 consecutive in rowing. Hobart athletes have earned hundreds of allconference awards and dozens of All-America honors.

In recognition of the difference he made in their lives, on the eve of their commencement, the Hobart Class of 2004 inducted Hanna as an honorary member.

“May your diploma guide you into a life of consequence and may it always help you to navigate the waters of life to reach the shores of your dreams.

We are all in it. You and I and we. Hip Hobart forever,” said Eugen Baer P’95, P’97 who received the Hobart Medal of Excellence during this year’s Charter Day festivities. Baer retired at the end of the Spring 2018 semester after 47 years as a professor of philosophy and, since 2006, Dean of Hobart College.

Since 1971, Baer has taught courses in semiotics, philosophy of language and European studies, while authoring a substantial interdisciplinary body of scholarship. With more than 100 bylines in publications throughout the world, Baer has published 10 books, most recently Eternal Life in the Word: An Introduction to the Life and Work of Friedrich Weinreb. Throughout his career, Baer has served his colleagues and professional community in numerous leadership roles, holding titles with the Semiotic Society of America, including two terms as president and 10 years as an editorial board member.

Baer has served as chair of the HWS Department of Philosophy; as adviser to Hobart sophomores, Hobart Student Government and Orange Key Society; and on numerous critical committees related to academic affairs, alums, appointments, curriculum and tenure at the Colleges.

Baer is the first recipient of the award who did not graduate from Hobart College; he receives the award based on honorary membership to the Hobart class of 2007.

The Hobart Medal of Excellence is the Alumni Association’s highest honor. It is awarded to an alumnus who, by reason of outstanding accomplishments in his particular business, profession or community, has brought honor and distinction to his alma mater. Since 1970, the Medal of Excellence has been presented to 39 illustrious alumni. These individuals represent many fields of professional endeavor—medicine, law, journalism, business, art, education. Regardless of career path, each and every one of the awardees embodies the integrity and leadership that distinguish Hobart men.

98 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES

SAVE THE DATE: William Smith @ Work Networking Conference October 19 – 20, 2018 Campus

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Julia “Cat” Gorman ‘15 and Alison Ware ‘16 deliver remarks to share their excitement and gratitude for their fellow alumnae in attendance.

Alumnae thriving in finance, media, advertising, science and more united in Manhattan to connect with one another for the inaugural William Smith @ Work event this spring.

D’Agata ’95 Book Hits Broadway

Upcoming Events October 19-20, 2018

William Smith @ Work Networking Conference

Campus

October 20, 2018

Head of the Charles Gathering

Boston, MA

November 3, 2018

Hobart College Athletics Hall of Fame

Campus

November 14, 2018

William Smith Founder’s Day and Alumna Achievement Award Presentation to Susan Strauss ’64

Campus

November 16, 2018

The Lifespan of Fact

New York, N.Y.

April 12, 2019

Charter Day

Campus

April 26, 2019

Moving Up Day

Campus

May 17, 2019

William Smith Senior Welcome Toast

Campus

May 17, 2019

Hobart Launch

Campus

May 19, 2019

Commencement

Campus

June 7 – 9, 2019

Reunion

Campus

Unless otherwise indicated, events are open to all Alumni, Alumnae, Parents and Friends of the Colleges. For details and registration, visit www.hws.edu/alumni or call Alumni House at (315) 781-3700.

99 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Fall 2018

See Broadway Play with fellow alums on Nov. 16 This fall, actors Daniel Radcliffe, Cherry Jones and Bobby Cannavale will bring to Broadway The Lifespan of a Fact, the 2012 book that grew out of a correspondence between fact-checker Jim Fingal (played

by Radcliffe) and writer John D’Agata ’95 (played by Cannavale).

Debuting on Oct. 18, the play is based on D’Agata and Fingal’s exploration of truth and accuracy. A professor of English and director of the Nonfiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa, D’Agata is the author of About a Mountain, which was named by the New York Times as one of the 100 Best Nonfiction Books Ever Written. During the 2017-18 academic year, D’Agata served as Trias Writer-in Residence at HWS.

HWS COMMUNITY

illiam Smith alums and students gathered at the Cornell Club in New York City for the William Smith @ Work kickoff event on May 3. The initiative helps alumnae build their professional networks while assisting William Smith students in finding meaningful and successful careers.

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rekking from across the globe to celebrate steadfast friendships and the legacy of the Colleges, more than 1,000 alums from 50 classes returned to Hobart and William Smith for Reunion in June. A tradition marked by the quintessential fireworks over the Quad, the parade on Pulteney, the Twin Oaks tent and more, the return to Seneca Lake set records for giving with the Classes of 1968 winning the Founder’s Cup for having the highest percentage of donors. “The Colleges are a place that gives us the opportunity to learn what our potential is, pushes us to fulfill it, and urges us to go on and lead lives of consequence,” said Board Chair Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68, L.H.D. ’18 during the annual State of the Colleges address. “We do what we do because we love this place.”

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1) Members of the Classes of 1983 gather for a photo with the iconic, original, Twin Oaks sign. 2) Alums march down Pulteney Street for the annual Reunion Parade. 3) Bart the Statesman and a local Finger Lakes marching band led the Reunion Parade procession.

4) Alums gather on the Quad during Reunion 2018.

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HWS COMMUNITY

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7 5) Associate Professor of Art and Architecture Michael Tinkler dives into the history of Medbery Hall during his walking tour on the towers of Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

6) Shane Samuel ’13, Shanita McLeod ’13, Deseray Cargill ’13, Tatyanna Jack ’15, Tatianna Echevarria ’13 and Albert Smith ’19 reunite during Saturday’s wine tasting. 7) Members of the Classes of 1978 ham it up in the photo booth during Saturday night’s festivities.

8) Members of the Classes of 2013 gather on the steps of Coxe Hall. 9) Alum authors Jeffrey Amestoy ’68, P’11, P’14, Cynthia Carter DeFelice ’73, Molly Bilinski ’13 and Matt Bindig ’98 discuss their work and sign copies at The College Store. 10) Fireworks light up the sky above Coxe Hall.

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PHOTO BY KEVIN COLTON

(l-r) Alumnae Association President Julie Bazan ’93, Julie Zappia McLean ’98, Professor Emerita of Art History Elena Ciletti, Interim President and Professor Emeritus of Economics Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. ’12, Derrick F. Moore ’05 and Provost and Dean of Faculty DeWayne Lucas.

Ciletti and McGuire Honored by the Alumni and Alumnae Associations

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n recognition of their profound impact on the Hobart and William Smith community, Professor Emerita of Art History Elena Ciletti and Interim President and Professor Emeritus of Economics Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. ’12 were honored with the Distinguished Faculty Award during Reunion.

Established in 1990, joint award of the Hobart Alumni Association and William Smith Alumnae Association recognizes the importance that graduates of the Colleges place on the contributions of outstanding faculty members – for their impact as teachers, mentors and scholars.

An inspiration and cornerstone of her department, Professor Ciletti was her students’ “Sistine Chapel, our ‘Birth of Venus,’ our Artemesia” as conveyed by Ciletti’s former student and lifelong friend Julie Zappia McLean ’98.

“Her guidance, support and warmth profoundly impacted my development as a human being, and I know that I am just one in a sea of former students and colleagues who share this sentiment,” said McLean, who presented the honor and reflected on Ciletti’s “Take a risk with dedication to her students. students— with

Credited with pioneering the Colleges’ global education program in learning. Put them in 1975, Ciletti served on the faculty as an art historian for 40 years. “What I am their uncomfortable experiencing today is extraordinary gratitude and recognition of my even more extraordinary luck,” Ciletti said to alums who filled the Vandervort Room. “It was zone. Take them places the students who pushed, demanded, frustrated and inspired me every day. Am I they have never been lucky and am I grateful? Who wouldn’t be? Job of one’s dreams, love of one’s life, and you will see them Seneca Lake and you.” blossom.” — Interim

Ciletti was honored alongside McGuire, whose impact on students is President Patrick A. McGuire described as surpassing tangible measure. “It wasn’t just that you were a good L.H.D. ’12 teacher; it wasn’t just that you were a good adviser or that you loved your students or that you loved Ireland or the Celtic tiger; it was that you did all those things,” said Derrick Moore ’04, a former student of McGuire’s. “It is this passion that made you and continues to make you a phenomenal mentor, teacher and professor.”

McGuire joined the faculty in 1968. He has served the Colleges in a variety of leadership roles, including as co-chair of the Culture of Respect initiative and interim provost and dean of faculty.

For McGuire, the HWS community fostered “taking a risk with students— with learning. Put them in their uncomfortable zone. Take them places they have never been and you will see them blossom…I have a special place in my heart for Hobart and William Smith and certainly its students.”

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Thank You

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We have remained engaged with the Colleges through the decades, but coming to know the extraordinary student ambassadors – the Reunion Red Shirts – has elevated our commitment to HWS. We are so impressed by their warmth and curiosity, and we look forward to their positive impact on the world in the years ahead.

As Annual Fund contributors, supporters of student scholarships, and members of The Wheeler Society, we are thankful for the thousands of alumni, alumnae, parents and friends who also support this truly special place and these marvelous students.

Mille grazie, Pietro ’67 and Maria del Fabro

Maria and Pietro ’67 del Fabro, Elizabeth “Liza” Plummer ’19 and Quinn Cullum ’18 enjoy campus during Reunion.

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HWS COMMUNITY

ast year we celebrated Pietro’s 50th Reunion.

The experience was so remarkable that we returned for Reunion again this year!

Talking Points The word on the street, the talk of the town, what you heard through the grapevine or might have missed from HWS alums.

“The scholarship is intended to ensure that financial stress will not compound the challenges first-generation students face.

Young people from working class backgrounds deserve an opportunity in higher education and add to the community in a way that can’t be ignored and that benefits everybody.”

– HWS Board Chair Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68, L.H.D. ’18, himself a first-generation student, speaking about the Bozzuto Family First-Generation Endowed Scholarship at the inaugural First-Generation Initiative event

“The power of love is demonstrated by the fact that we’re all here. Two young people fell in love, and we all showed up. But it’s not just for and about a young couple, who we rejoice with. It’s more than that…Imagine this tired old world where love is the way. When love is the way unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive…

Dr. King was right: we must discover love − the redemptive power of love. And when we do that, we will make of this old world, a new world.”

– The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry ’75 during his royal wedding address for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle

“You are graduating at an incredible time in history, and particularly in the lives of women.

Today we are unified as a group, with the power to confront obstacles that have not been addressed in decades.”

“It’s like earning a one-on-one MFA.” – Dina Paulson-McEwen ’04 on working with Professor of Writing and Rhetoric Cheryl Forbes post-grad while writing her newly released collection of prose, Parts of love

−Sandy Scherzer Gross ’85, P’18 in her remarks to the Class of 2018 at the William Smith Alumnae Association Senior Welcome

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“We all come from a place that recognizes the power and potential of women to change the world. ”

– Derrick Moore ’05 on Distinguished Faculty Award Recipient, Interim President and Professor Emeritus of Economics Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. ’12

– Trustee Linda Arrington ’88 at the launch of William Smith at Work, the new networking initiative for both students and alumnae

“Her guidance, support and warmth profoundly impacted my development as a human being, and I know that I am just one in a sea of former students and colleagues who share this sentiment. She was our Sistine Chapel, our ‘Birth of Venus,’ our Artemesia.”

– Julie Zappia McLean ’98 on Distinguished Faculty Award Recipient and Professor Emerita of Art History Elena Ciletti during the Distinguished Faculty Awards

“What truly sets Hobart apart is the people who make this place so special. Since my time here, the campus has changed some and grown, but the people are the same.

As you go out into the real world, know that Hobart and the connections you have made here are never far away, and use these connections to move through life.”

– Robert S. Pisanelli ’00 during his address to the Class of 2018 at the Hobart Launch

“Hobart and William Smith is the hallmark of community. Even as an alum, when you return after a while of being away, that feeling returns very quickly.”

– Matthew Milner ’99 during his keynote address at the induction of HWS seniors to Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society

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HWS COMMUNITY

“It wasn’t just that Pat McGuire was a good teacher; it wasn’t just that he was a good adviser or that he loved his students or that he loved Ireland or the Celtic tiger; it was that he did all those things.”

SPOTLIGHT Alums in the News

Whitaker ’73, L.H.D. ’97 Wins Hillman Prize, Joins Posse Advisory Board HWS Trustee and Emmy Award-winning 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker ’73, L.H.D. ’97 was awarded the Sidney Hillman Prize for his reporting in the segments “The Whistleblower” and “Too Big to Prosecute.” The Hillman prizes recognize work in the field of socially conscious journalism, this year honoring Whitaker and his colleagues at 60 Minutes and The Washington Post for examining the culpability of the drug industry in the opioid epidemic.

In April 2018, Whitaker was also named the newest National Advisory Board member of the Posse Foundation, one of the most successful college access and youth leadership development programs in the country. Since 2013, HWS’ partnership with Posse has created access for 50 students, with a new cohort arriving this fall.

BEST

Knoll ’06 Publishes New York Times Bestseller Author Jessica Knoll ’06 released her highly anticipated second novel, The Favorite Sister, in May which quickly rose to the New York Times bestseller list. Published by Simon & Schuster, The Favorite Sister “explores the invisible barriers that prevent women from rising up the ranks in today’s America— and offers a scathing take on the oft-lionized bonds of sisterhood, and the relentless pressure to stay young, relevant, and salable.” Knoll recently signed a deal to develop her sophomore novel into a television series. Knoll is also the author of Luckiest Girl Alive, the 2016 bestseller that Knoll is developing for film with Lionsgate Entertainment.

Horowitz ’98 in the Oscars Spotlight For his 10th year reporting at the Oscars, Josh Horowitz ’98 joined Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic on E! for red carpet coverage on Hollywood’s biggest night of the year. “Working the Oscars is always an amazing, once-in-alifetime opportunity,” says Horowitz, a correspondent for MTV News. “There are very few events and moments that you know in advance will be a permanent piece of pop culture.” Recently, Horowitz expanded the scope of his digital entertainment projects in a new deal with MTV’s parent company Viacom Digital Studios. The deal, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, also includes the relaunching of Horowitz’s sketch comedy web series, After Hours.

Hayes ’71 Breaks 4 Records at Swimming Nationals Christie Hayes ’71, a 1997 William Smith College Heron Hall of Honor inductee, won five medals and set four national records in the women’s 70-74 age group at the U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championship in May. Hayes won and set records in the 1,650 (setting the 1,000 record on the way) 500 and 200 freestyles. Hayes competed in her first World Masters Swimming Championship in 1986 when she won gold medals in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes and won a silver medal in the 50 breaststroke and the 200 individual medley.

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Kauffman’s Book No. 1 on Amazon The latest work by architectural historian Jordan Kauffman ’02 is a No. 1 best seller in Amazon’s Architectural Criticism category. Drawing on Architecture: The Object of Lines, 1970–1990 (MIT Press) explores how architectural drawings emerged as valuable art, promoted by a network of galleries, collectors and institutions during the 1970s and 1980s, and how this changed the understanding of architecture.

An architectural historian whose work spans from the Renaissance to the late 20th century, Kauffman has taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, Brandeis University and the Architectural Association in London.

Miller ’15 a “History-Maker” Philadelphia-based radio station Boom 103.9 featured Dominque Miller ’15 in its “Local History Makers” series for Black History Month in February. Miller was named one of the city’s “30 Under 30” for her work in political campaigns, including strategic planning, fundraising and youth engagement through internship programs. Earlier this year, she was named Chief Operating Officer of J&S Strategies, a fundraising firm that has generated more than $47 million for candidates, political action committees and charitable organizations since 2011.

The Pittsburgh Business Times recognized Delvina L. Smith Morrow ’09 with its inaugural “30 Under 30” award, a celebration of up-and-coming executives, innovators and thought leaders who will shape the future of Pittsburgh.

Morrow received the honor while serving as director of development and community engagement for Providence Connections, a nonprofit organization working to strengthen families and enrich lives through comprehensive education and developmental opportunities for parents and children. She now serves as the director of development and community engagement at Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse.

Dexheimer Honored by Hangar Theatre During a special gala held in his honor, the Hangar Theatre of Ithaca, N.Y. celebrated emeritus member of their board, HWS Honorary Trustee Roy Dexheimer ’55, P’86, GP’18, LL.D. ’80 for his extraordinary service and dedication to their organization. A member of the community for three decades, Dexheimer helped expand and shape the core of the theatre’s mission: to enrich, enlighten, educate and entertain audiences throughout the Finger Lakes Region.

“Having dedicated his life to education and inspired two generations of educators himself,” says Michael Barakiva, artistic director of the Hangar Theatre, “Roy has ensured the Hangar’s educational programs remain a top priority in serving students of all backgrounds.”

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HWS COMMUNITY

Morrow ’09 Honored as One of “30 Under 30”

THE LAST WORD Unscrambling the Universe

by Donald Spector Professor of Physics

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cientists, it is often said, are driven by their curiosity about the world. This is certainly true, but in the corner of physics in which I work, curiosity about the world is not enough. Frequently, I find myself asking questions about alternate versions of reality, trying to understand unreal universes that stand in contrast to our own. As I once said to a non-scientist friend of mine, my doctoral thesis wasn’t about particles that might or might not exist; it was about particles we know for a fact do not exist. How does one wind up there?

In the arena of research in which I work, theoretical particle physics, we seek to explain the fundamental properties of the universe. Of course, some of the issues are technical, describable only to another expert in the field. But others are accessible to all of us.

Let’s take a simple example— well, a simple question, but one that so far has no answer. We all know that space is three dimensional: up/down, left/right, forwards/backwards. But why three dimensions? Why not more? Why not fewer?

To reach an answer, we need to understand what it is that singles out three dimensions as opposed to two or seven or any other number. Accordingly, to figure out what the critical distinguishing factor might be, we are led to consider what the universe would look like if it had some alternate number of dimensions.

PHOTO BY KEVIN COLTON

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Join the Conversation!

Follow the Colleges on Now if our question were something tangible— say, to understand how metals differ from insulators or how gases differ from liquids— we could go into the laboratory and make measurements. But to understand how a hypothetical universe with seven dimensions would differ from ours, experimental work is not an option. And so we go down the rabbit hole of studying imagined scenarios, non-existent versions of reality, to see how they would behave.

The tools we use to do this are mathematical principles and techniques; we seek ways to apply and combine them to reach conclusions about what would happen in these alternate universes.

The payoff can be a discovery of what sets our world apart or a discovery that a property known in our universe in fact is quite generic; either kind of insight enriches our understanding of reality.

This essay is not the place for a crash course in theoretical physics, but I can communicate what it is like to conduct this kind of research.

The experience is much like playing a game of Scrabble. You look at your seven letters; sometimes they look like they should form a nice, long word; other times they do not seem so promising. Still, you try combining the letters in different ways and consider various spots on the board to play your letters, in hopes of finding a good word you can play. Sometimes you are successful, sometimes you are not, and sometimes you reject your letters and exchange them for new ones.

So it is with theoretical physics, except rather than combining letters into words, we seek to combine mathematical principles to reach conclusions. Physics gives us an array of mathematical principles to choose from (“the letters”), and we try to find effective ways to combine them, leveraging one principle against another, to reach a conclusion (“the word”).

Consequently, when I look back at each paper I have written, I see more than its scientific results; I see the story of how I figured out the way to combine the relevant ideas. Sometimes it was a flash of insight, a scientific coup de foudre; sometimes it was finding the right person to talk to about the possibilities; and in one case that still bugs me, I have been struggling with my Scrabble letters for two decades. But there’s this triple-word score waiting for a seven-letter word…

Professor of Physics Donald Spector joined the HWS faculty in 1989. His research on supersymmetry, solitons, and information theory has been recognized by the National Science Foundation, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, Japan Society for Promotion of Science, and Foundational Questions Institute. His supernova rule of thumb appears in Randall Munroe’s bestseller What If?, and his course Physics through Star Trek in Cosmo Girl! magazine. Spector received his A.B., A.M., and Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Use #HWSColleges

HWS Community Members to Follow: Michael B. Curry ‘75

Twitter: @PB_Curry Instagram: @pb_curry 27th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church.

Following Jesus into a loving, liberating, and life-giving relationship with God, each other, and with the earth.

Jessica Knoll ’06

Twitter: @JessMKnoll Instagram: @jessicaknollauthor New York Times bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive.

The Favorite Sister is out now. Formerly @ Cosmo & SELF

Warren K. Zola ’89, P’19

Twitter & Instagram: @WarrenKZola Sports Lawyer. Boston College’s Carroll School of Management & the Boston College Chief Executives Club

Chris Legaspi ’12

Instagram: @chris_legaspi Menswear Editor VANITY FAIR

Boys and Girls Club of Geneva

Facebook: Boys and Girls Club of Geneva Instagram: @bgcgeneva To connect and empower all people in our community, especially young people who need us most, to reach their full potential

Dina Paulson-McEwan ’04

Twitter: @writeandsea Parts of love | founder of Aqua Editing

Non profit org.

U.S. Postage PAID Burlington, VT Permit No. 19

300 Pulteney Street Geneva, New York 14456 The pages of this publication were printed using 100% recycled paper which enables the environmental savings equivalent to the following: • 207 trees preserved for the future • 199,310 gal. US of water saved • 20,391 lbs. of waste not generated • Saved 66,995 lbs. CO2 from being emitted • 172 MMBTU energy not consumed * * These calculations were derived from the Rolland Eco-calculator.

GAVIN R. GROSS ’19

PARALLELS

• Analysis intern at Citi Private Bank; recipient of the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship from the Taiwan Ministry of Education for study in Mandarin

PETER J. MCKENNA ’91

• Major: Economics

• CEO of Ryan Specialty Group Europe, based in London

• Student Trustee • Hometown: Pipersville, Pa.

• Major: Economics • Student Trustee • Hometown: West Hartford, Conn.

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Best career advice you ever received: Making informed decisions only happens with research and data, as per Charles Wheelan in Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science

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Go-to coffee order: Just black.

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What makes a great leader? Empathy− no one is willing to follow and listen to someone who cannot relate and understand them.

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City you weren’t born in that you call home? Nanjing, China, where I studied abroad and now have a whole cohort of friends who feel like family.

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Best career advice you ever received: You have to be passionate about what you do, excited to do it every day, and work diligently to make things happen.

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Go-to coffee order: Straight black.

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What makes a great leader? Someone who listens, analyzes the situation and then is decisive.

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City you weren’t born in that you call home? London, the home base for my wife Kristen Mezzalingua McKenna ’92, myself and our children since 2012.

“I ran for Student Trustee because…” I felt I could truly represent the whole student body well, since I found I was interacting with a diverse and wide range of students every day.

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Most important quality in a friend: Humor

“I ran for Student Trustee because…” It was something I always wanted to do and sharing the student perspective was so important to me. It was by far the best experience I had at Hobart and William Smith.

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Cryptocurrency— fad or future? Future. I believe the transformation of a cashless society is inevitable.

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Favorite campus study spot: The Quad, if it’s sunny enough.

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Most important quality in a friend: Loyalty

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Forbes or Fortune? Wall Street Journal.

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Cryptocurrency— fad or future? Fad; I’m skeptic on the longterm viability. I’m not a fan.

10. Travel light or prepare for anything? You can travel light and still prepare for anything.

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Favorite campus study spot: The second level of the Blackwell Room in Demarest Hall. The wooden study carrels with the stained glass windows…it’s perfect.

11. Most important app on your phone: Pleco, a Mandarin Chinese learning app

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Forbes or Fortune? Forbes.

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10. Travel light or prepare for anything? You’ve got to prepare for anything.

11. Most important app on your phone: Google